


A Child, The Child, Your Child, My Child

by GoddessofRoyalty



Series: A Child Verse [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Arrow (TV 2012) Season 2, Kid Fic, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21743926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofRoyalty/pseuds/GoddessofRoyalty
Summary: Because while everyone who questioned whether William was actually Oliver’s is clearly blind, you would also have to be blind to not see the bits of him that clearly came from his sire. That clearly came from Slade.And a little thing like that can throw a lot of complications into people's plans.
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Slade Wilson
Series: A Child Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1844371
Comments: 76
Kudos: 417





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I’m going to respect some Arrowverses character origins about as well as it respects comic characters origins . 
> 
> I've also only watched until the end of Season 2 at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Season 2 of Arrow gave me ideas. Which if you were on the DC omegaverse server you would have seen. Instead of writing a full story where I have to actually come up with filler plot I’m instead just writing the main scenes of what would be the ‘main plot’. For the plot between these just imagine the plot of Season 2 but like… with omegaverse.

“One of the first things we did was run a full blood work on you. To ensure you weren’t infected with anything – drugs or illness,” Amanda Waller says, sitting across from Oliver in a car in Hong Kong. And he still doesn’t fully understand how he got from the island to here.

“And – did you find anything?” Oliver is fairly certain any drugs that would be in his system would be the result of how they managed to transport him without him waking up. Illness though, he has no idea.

“Neither. Although I suppose that depends on your definition of ‘illness’,” Waller says.

“What do you mean?”

“Congratulations Mr Queen,” Waller says, handing over the tablet in her hands. “You’re pregnant.”

The results shown are clear – Oliver’s pregnant.

He doesn’t know how he didn’t notice it. 

Except he does. As much as it feels like months since things had really gone to hell it had only actually been a matter of days.

And while things were never comfortable on the island. Or safe. Before it really went to hell, there had been a moment. Well, several moments, but the last in hindsight probably had been during one of Oliver’s heats – the inconsistent and nearly undetectable things they had become. He and Slade and a stolen moment along and-

Damn it.

Damn _him_.

Why had they been so stupid?

Why had _Oliver_ been so stupid?

And now?

Oliver is pregnant and Slade is dead.

And Oliver doubts Amanda Waller is going to just deliver him back home to his family.

* * *

So Slade Wilson being in town and not dead is bad. Felicity gets that. Oh boy does she get it. And that’s fine but Oliver is vague as ever about him and honestly Slade could walk up to Felicity on the street and start a conversation with her and she wouldn’t even know.

Not that she often strikes up conversations with strangers on the street of course.

Still, she’d prefer to have a face of the threat to you know, _know_.

So Felicity does what she does best and goes digging.

And look – Slade’s good. Oliver’s right that the man is very talented at being a ghost. Anything after the island and he practically doesn’t exist. Even the company he supposedly runs doesn’t have any photos of him anywhere Felicity can manage to dig and Felicity can dig into most archives.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything.

Because Slade didn’t just spawn on the island. Much like Oliver he existed before then. And while those images might not be much like how he looks now they’re better than nothing.

And Felicity is very good at what she does so she manages to find what is probably the last photo taken of Slade Wilson before his deployment on the island.

And-

_Oh._

Well that explains why Oliver is maddeningly unhelpful when it comes to questions about Slade. And even more so when it comes to questions about William’s father who apparently died on the island.

Because while everyone who questioned whether William was actually Oliver’s is clearly blind, Felicity would also have to be blind to not see the bits of him that clearly came from his sire. That clearly came from _Slade._

Oh and here comes the nervous laugh.

Because, oh boy, if that didn’t make the whole situation a whole lot more complicated. Like insanely more complicated.

“Felicity?” Diggle asks because he knows what she was looking for and he knows what her nervous laugh is.

And how could she even _explain it_?

So instead she just turns the computer screen so Diggle can see the image of Slade.

“Oh no,” Diggle says because yeah – it’s that obvious.

Well, okay, maybe not if you didn’t know that Slade and Oliver happened to be on the same deserted island together for like a decent period of time. Like a _hook up and conceive a kid_ period of time. But Diggle and Felicity do and, well, _it’s obvious._

And of course, because Oliver has the worst, or maybe it’s the best, timing he walks in, William in his arms, with the image of Slade still on the screen.

And Felicity is _really_ bad at the poker face still. Not like… an actual poker face, she can do that okay when it’s actually just a game. But when it’s ‘hey I’ve figured out your kids sire also is the guy you’re saying is here to get revenge on you’ her poker face is… kind of the worst.

So Oliver knows that they know.

“Whatever you’re thinking stop it,” Oliver says.

“Oliver-“ Diggle says because of course he can glue his brain back together to form words faster, while Felicity’s brain is still flipping between the image of Slade on the screen and the sleepy toddler cuddling against Oliver’s chest.

“Diggle, drop it,” Oliver says, and oh he’s got his serious Vigilante-voice on. “He doesn’t know. He won’t find out. It doesn’t change anything.”

But it does change things. It’s got to doesn’t it?


	2. Kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William isn’t in his bed where Oliver left him to go out for the night. Slade realises the truth basically immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things to note: Slade has met Oliver’s family by this point but Oliver left William with Felicity when he went in. Also while the news media did report about Oliver coming home with a child they never got a super clear picture of William because, IDK, Oliver was a bit overprotective and paranoid and therefore careful.

William isn’t in his bed.

Oliver had put him to bed before going out for the night. Content enough that William rarely woke and Moira and Thea and the staff were around should he, and that the baby monitor rerouted into Oliver’s comms would alert him if William did.

And there hadn’t been any sound on the comms. Nor his mother or sister waiting for him unhappily having discovered he had slipped out without even informing them. No, it had been a night of silence and now an empty bed.

Oliver sniffs at the air to try and figure out who might have taken his son and when he recognises the scent that is almost lost to his memory his blood goes cold.

Slade Wilson had apparently decided to stage another visit to the Queen Estate. This time more secretively.

And he had taken Oliver’s son.

* * *

“I don’t understand – why would Slade take William?” Felicity asks even as her fingers speed across the keyboard to try and pick up a trail, _any trail,_ on where William might have been taken. “I mean do you think he knows?”

“He doesn’t know.” He can’t know. Oliver had done everything in his power to keep any information that might reveal William’s sire as tightly contained as possible. Slade hadn’t been the threat in mind at the time, but the result was all the same. “He’s taken him to get at me.”

“Do you really think he would hurt him?” Diggle asks. “I mean Will’s a _kid_. That’s a whole different question to even your mother or sister.”

“Yes.” The Slade before the mirakuru wouldn’t. Not unless there truly was no other way. But Slade now? Without a question.

“Shit,” Diggle says.

“We need to find them _now_ ,” Oliver says. Because there is no way he is going to let Slade harm his son. Especially not seeing he knows how much it would kill any part of Slade that is still himself if he knew what he was doing.

“I’m working on it!” Felicity says, and Oliver gets that she’s stressed as well. She likes William, is basically a second aunt to him. But she isn’t his mother – Oliver is. And he will get his son back no matter what the cost.

“Oh,” Felicity says.

“What oh?” Oliver immediately demands.

“Well I think I know where Slade’s holding him.”

“Where Felicity?”

“Well his company has just made a post about an abandoned factory they’re restoring. And well, it’s kind of 2AM in the morning, as you’re probably aware, so it’s a bit odd to be posting it. Unless of course the point of it is to notify some people possibly trying to figure out where someone and the child they kidnapped might be hiding out. And it’s clearly bait and I’m clearly rambling.”

“Felicity – where.” Oliver doesn’t care how much it is probably bait. It’s his kid that Slade took. There is absolutely no way he isn’t going to act.

“It’s a… actually like five doors down. Do you think Slade was thinking about setting up a rival nightclub business before he decided on the… more ‘kidnap the people you love’ definition of ‘destroy your life’?” Felicity says. “Right, uh, that probably isn’t appropriate right now. You get our boy okay though? And if Slade’s so much as harmed a hair on his head-“

“I know.” Oliver will kill him.

* * *

The abandoned factory is, for the most part, abandoned. Slade having apparently elected to leave his backup behind.

It’s been disturbed though. The layer of dust that normally is settled in abandoned buildings not there. Something has been happening here for at least some time now. But any who had been involved are gone right now. Nothing disturbing the silence and only the faint smell of Slade and William in the air – a trail Oliver quickly picks up and follows.

He finds William in the open factory floor – tied to a chair dead in the centre.

“You didn’t tell me you were pregnant,” Slade says before Oliver has a chance to run to his child. Oliver has an arrow notched and shot up to the overhead walkway Slade is on. The metal guard of it defecting it instead of it hitting its mark. 

Oliver notches another and points it at where Slade is. Waiting for a chance at a clear shot. 

“I didn’t know until after. Not until I was off the island.” He would have likely told Slade if he was. Maybe it would have been enough to knock Slade out of his crazed-state. Maybe it might have been enough to at least not electrocute Oliver while he had him captive.

“A likely story,” Slade says, voice heavy with doubt.

“Slade I swear to you – you were dead before I found out.” Oliver slowly walks towards William. His arrow constantly trained on where Slade is above them as he does.

“Well, we both know that to be a lie,” Slade says because he clearly isn’t dead. But that doesn’t change the fact that until very recently Oliver had honestly believed him to be dead. Believed he had killed his alpha and the sire of his child.

“You know if you had told me I would not have believed you,” Slade says, walking along the walkway at a casual pace. “But my eyes do not deceive me.”

“He’s definitively yours,” Oliver says, finally standing in front of William. He wants to reach down to comfort his son or cut him loose. He doesn’t dare lower his bow. “So what now?”

It’s too much to hope Slade will drop his crusade. But maybe he can convince him to keep William out of it. Not that Oliver knows if he would trust Slade’s word if he gave it.

“It changes nothing,” Slade says. But there is a drop in his voice that Oliver learned to recognise as doubt. He doesn’t dare to hope though. “You ruined my life and now you think a son you denied me will change things? I didn’t think even you were that much of a fool kid.”

“I’m not who I was Slade.” A lot had happened between Oliver driving an arrow into Slade’s eye and now. And Oliver had only changed and adapted with it.

“I doubt you could have changed that much kid,” Slade says. “But, I suppose parenthood does have a way of it. I wonder what you will sacrifice to keep him safe.”

There’s an explosion from one of the old offices. And Oliver immediately drops his bow to cover William from it. Not that any more than the heat of it truly reaches them.

“Oliver! What was that?” Felicity demands in his comms as Oliver finally dares to move back from guarding his son.

He looks to the walkways above them and finds no sign of Slade.

“A distraction.” Slade hadn’t apparently wanted to fight him this time. Just show him that William wasn’t as safe as he thought.

Oliver wouldn’t be leaving him sleep at the Manor while he went out to help fix his city anymore. As much as he hated having his son fall asleep at the Foundry and need to be moved once Oliver was done for the night, until Slade was dealt with Oliver would just have to get over it.

He cuts the ropes tying William down and picks his son up.

William clings to him desperately. The boy’s body riddled with shakes as he starts to sob.

“You’re safe now,” Oliver says. Holding his son just as tightly in return. “I promise you – you’re safe.”

Williams sobs become gasps as the boy clearly tries to drag in enough breath to speak.

“Hey, shhh, you’re okay,” Oliver says, rubbing his cheek against his son in a desperate attempt to comfort him. “I’ve got you, you’re safe.”

“Why?” William manages to gasp out. His voice high in his distress. “Why was he so _mean_?”

And Oliver wishes he had an easy answer for his son. Wishes the situation was easy to sum up and explain. But it isn’t and he doesn’t dare try to start.

So he just shushes and comforts his son. And swears to himself he will keep Slade away from him.


	3. Blind Spot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in the rough plan for this chapter Slade had to bribe William with a Paw Patrol backpack to get the kid to promise not to tell Oliver about the kidnapping. Then I realised how much that does not match the tone at all so… no Paw Patrol backpack for William.

Watching the Queen Estate through his cameras gives Slade a new appreciation of where Oliver gained some his personality traits from.

Oliver’s stubbornness, for example, clearly has come from Moria Queen. The woman as steadfast once she makes up her mind as her son is.

William likely has no hope but to end up similar considering Slade isn’t the most compliant or accommodating person either.

Which- no.

_Don’t think about him like that._

William may be biologically Slade’s child – the result of one of his and Oliver’s trysts on the island where they decided to not think about the dangers and threats surrounding them and just be an alpha and omega for a little – but he isn’t _his._ William Queen is a weakness of Oliver’s. A weakness Slade isn’t going to give him mercy for.

A weakness currently lying in his bedroom at Queen Manor despite how much Slade is sure Oliver had no plans of allowing him to be alone there after Slade took him from that room over a week ago.

But Moira Queen is where Oliver inherited his stubbornness for and the Queen Matriarch demanded to have grandmother time with her grandson and there was simply no way for Oliver to successfully convince her off without telling her about what Slade had done. And the last thing Oliver currently would want to do is tell his mother what Slade had done because that would risk too many other questions for him wouldn’t it? A silence Slade is well and truly taking advantage of.

_Maybe he should sneak in and take the boy again? Cause Oliver to fret and stress over his child and fall right into wherever play Slade wants him to, completely blinded by his need to get his pup back._

Slade’s already proven he can get to William though. There’s not much else to be gained from a repeat performance.

 _Well, there is._ But, nah, it’s not worth it.

Slade can’t help but still keep watch as William sleeps.

 _He shouldn’t._ There are much more interesting things going on in the manor. Even Thea and her snuck-in-omega-boyfriend might provide him something useful to use against Oliver. But Slade has two other screens for that – he can sacrifice one to William.

_He shouldn’t._

But he can.

And it’s damn lucky he does because if he hadn’t there would be no-one to notice the sneak in the night slide open the window to the room bundle William up and out it.

And, oh, is the kid going to kill them for sure when he finds out. He had damn well tried with Slade and there’s no way this one’ll know what to expect when the Vigilante comes for him like Slade did. No hope of protecting himself from a pissed-off ‘mega mumma’s wrath.

Except – well Oliver doesn’t seem to be reacting to it from the traffic cams Slade is watching him run around on. He seems to be going about his usual business of chasing down low-level gang-bangers and drug-traders. The kind of small fry that don’t even slightly compare to a guy who just took your kid.

And, oh, _come on_ kid that’s your pup! You’ve gotta’ have something on him or something that tells you when he’s taken?

How the hell did he so quickly catch on when Slade took him? Was it just dumb damned luck?

And if someone doesn’t do something sooner than later the trail’ll be colder than it could have been. Hell, depending on why they took the boy and how well organised they are they could be half on their way to Canada or China by the time Oliver wraps up for the night and goes home.

_It ain’t Slade’s problem._

_William is Oliver’s child. Slade was just the sperm donor._

But if the kid doesn’t figure out what’s happen damn soon-

Well, it would break him wouldn’t it? To have his pup, that he clearly put so much effort into keeping safe and private, stolen from him into the unknown dark of the night.

And it just wasn’t right for some two-bit kidnapper to be the one to break Oliver down. That was Slade’s right as retribution for what Oliver did to him.

And _damn it, damn it all to hell._ Slade can’t just sit there when there’s a trail going cold and the kid quiet possibly being gussied up for ransom at best and human trafficking at worst and Oliver still none-the-bloody-wiser.

* * *

The kidnappers clearly have some level of talent. That much is obvious from the fact they managed to get in and out of the Queen manor without being noticed.

But Slade is better. And he picks up the trail they left and tracks it back to a subbasement of one of the nicer multi-business complexes within the city – one of the upper floors likely the backer of these kidnappers. Some dipshit who thinks that doing this’ll help their company soar.

It’s not a bad plan – if you have someone inside of the company to take advantage of it.

But Slade has his own plans for Queen Consolidated. And he isn’t about to let some small-time-business-nobody step in on them.

All in all what was hired as guards for this kidnapping venture go down easily enough. And Slade hasn’t felt this satisfied, this vindicated, in a kill in… a while.

But these bastards took the kid.

_No-_

But these bastards threatened his plan.

_There we go._

He tries to be a bit careful in his kills as he gets closer to where the kid’s been kept. He still kills them – they deserve it, but he tries to make it a bit less bloody and loud and violent. He doesn’t know how much Oliver has exposed his son to the violence of his life. How much he has been guarded from it. And he doesn’t want to be dealing with a completely traumatised kid when he gets to him.

William’s eyes are wide and terrified when Slade finally walks into the room he’s bound it. He has Oliver’s eyes but Slade’s face shape and Slade tries not to think too much about that. Instead moving his attention to how William is tied to a chair and gagged, which Slade knows he can’t say nothing about seeing he did similar not that long ago.

“I’m going to take the gag out – don’t scream got it?” Slade says as he slowly walks over to the chair – clearly telegraphing his moments to not spook the kid more.

William eyes his warily but gives a small nod. So Slade leans over him to untie it.

“Are you-“ William starts once his mouth is free. His voice shaky and quiet. “Are you keeping me now?”

“No. I’m taking you home.” And then he’ll come back and see if he can figure out which spineless coward decided to hire some goons to kidnap this kid. “But we’re not telling your mother about this got it?”

“Why not?” William asks.

“Because he’ll freak,” Slade says, cutting through the ropes holding the boy down and picking him up. He feels like a comfortable weight in Slade’s arms. Like how Grant and Joey did back when they were young.

_No._

_Slade doesn’t have time for that sort of thinking. He has a mission he needs to complete and until than any other thought is just a distraction._

He’s going to take William home. Come back and figure out who the hell paid for this and then he will go back to focusing on the mission. Focus on the whole reason he came to this town.

* * *

Slade climbs through the window to William’s room in the Queen Manor to be met with an arrow pointed at his face.

“Oliver-“

“Put. Him. Down.” Oliver says. His voice deep and heavy in a way most omega’s can’t even get to. But Slade knows the kid’s not like most omegas anymore.

“Or what? You’re gonna’ shoot me with him still in my arms?” Slade says, calling Oliver’s bluff. Because right now, this it is a bluff. Hell, even after he puts the kid down he doubts Oliver will immediately start filling him with arrows seeing he probably doesn’t want his son witness to murder if it can be helped.

“You’ve taken him twice, I’m starting to think it’d be worth it.”

“What you think I took him this time?” Oh come on he can’t be that stupid?

“You have him.”

“Kid, if I was the kidnapper I wouldn’t be bringing him back home _._ Do you seriously think I stole him from his bed, drove him around town a couple of times then was just going to return him without even doing anything to bring to your attention I took him? No, someone else nabbed him and I’m bringing him back.” Sure, okay, Slade has taken the kid before, that’s fair. But if he had of taken him again things would be going very differently.

This is why he had hoped to get William back into his bed before Oliver noticed him missing.

“Who?”

“Well you’re not going to have to worry about the ones that did the taking this time. I took care of them.” Piled up their corpses in the corner so their employer can see exactly what’s coming to them if they make it there before Slade makes it to them. “As for who hired them – I’m still working on figuring it out.”

William starts to squirm in Slade’s arms. The bone-deep frozen fear finally leaving him and instead being replaced with no-doubt deep desire to return to his mother. Slade puts him down and the boy immediately runs to hide behind Oliver’s legs – clinging to them in a clear plea for comfort Oliver won’t dare give until Slade has gone.

“Just tell me where they were keeping him and I can do that.” Oliver says. “We don’t need you and you have made it more than clear that you aren’t here to help me or him out. I remember your promise well.”

“Good. Then what’s coming won’t be that much of a surprise to you,” Slade says. Because it changes nothing. He still going to destroy everything Oliver loves.

“Are you going to tell me where they were keeping him?” Oliver asks after a moment, and Slade does hand over the address. Not that Oliver will get much of a chance to find who was behind it before Slade – William will need calming down before Oliver dares to go out again and Slade will be immediately returning to the scene.

He will find them first and will kill them before Oliver even gets the chance to look.

Not that he cares about the fact someone kidnapped the boy. No – he just can’t have anyone stepping in on his plan. Another player not under his control too much of wild card too late in the game.

“Can I leave now or are you going to shoot me in the back as I do?” Slade asks. Not that he wouldn’t likely survive it if Oliver did.

“So long as you immediately leave my family’s property.” Oliver does drop his bow. Slowly. And Slade is sure if he made any sudden movements it would be up again.

“I didn’t have any plans on sticking around anyway.” He had only come here to bring William back to his bed. He hadn’t even wanted to be here as long as he had.

* * *

The screens are still on when Slade returns to his office. Thea Queen’s room no longer has a secret second occupant of her omega boyfriend, the main office is empty as Moira Queen apparently finished with her business for the night, and Oliver is asleep curled around William in the boy’s room.

They’ll be discovered when Moria Queen goes to check on her grandson but Slade doubts Oliver will have to come up with that clever of a story to justify why he fell asleep with his kid instead of going to his own bed. For now though they are both clearly at peace – William’s fears after the night soothed by his mother being with him. Oliver’s fears off his pup being taken again soothed by having him in his arms.

What Slade has planned with destroy this. Destroy any feeling of peace and safety the two currently feel.

_Oliver deserves to have this destroyed._

Yes, but does William?


	4. Fatherhood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things to note: Slade still hasn’t kidnapped Thea yet. I’m aware that it means I’m inserting a whole lot of scenes into a short span of time and then going to have a big gab. But like… once Slade kidnaps Thea things kind of go the way they do in the canon for a bit.

The part Oliver hates the most of Slade’s ‘business man’ persona is just how much his mother likes it.

It’s all too easy for Slade to work his way into the lives of the people Oliver cares about when his mother keeps inviting him to campaign meetings. When she keeps inviting him into conversations that do not need to involve him.

William peers at Slade anxiously from Oliver’s arms and Moira jokes that he’s an anxious pup who isn’t sure about new people. And Slade jokes back that he gets it, he’s got a mean face and the eyepatch doesn’t help. And Oliver keeps trying to find the first out of the situation that doesn’t make him look like the rude one.

“Oh, put him down Oliver – he doesn’t need to be coddled so much,” Moira says when Oliver tries, for the third time, to unsuccessfully excuse him and William from the meeting by saying his arms were getting tired. “There’s no press here, let him run around.”

“Mom-” He doesn’t _want_ to put William down. Especially not when he has no idea what Slade’s next move in his revenge plan is. Or when it is coming.

“Oliver.”

“Fine.”

William’s feet dangle as Oliver puts him down and it’s only after Oliver lets go of him that they get firm enough to hold him. He immediately clings to Oliver’s leg.

“You don’t have to stick by your mother Will, go on, you’re safe here, you can run around,” Moira says. Although William doesn’t budge at it. Instead looking up to Oliver.

“Go on,” Oliver whispers. Gently nudging his son. He doesn’t want his son to leave his side either but he knows his mother will not give up until she gets her way.

William gives a small nod before letting go of Oliver’s leg.

He makes it just out of Oliver’s arms-reach when the gunshots echo through the building.

The next moments are instinctual for Oliver. The time to think just isn’t there with active gunfire raining down on him.

The first thing Oliver’s aware once he’s under the cover of one of the two main entertainment tables is that William isn’t with him. And he’s frantic before he looks across to the other table to see William safe and sound – curled under Slade’s protective form. The alpha having apparently dragged William, and Moira, down under the only other obvious cover available.

Slade’s hand runs along William’s hair in what is clearly designed to sooth the boy’s distress. He stops when he notices Oliver is looking. The two of them sharing a gaze.

Oliver knows the look in his eyes. Slade wants to fight back. Wants to strike at those who threatened them. Threatened him.

There’s a click of a gun’s safety being turned off next to Oliver. Diggle’s preparing to clear the room for them as well. When Oliver turns to look at him it’s the same look in his eyes as is in Slade’s. A look Oliver is sure he has as well as much as he can’t actually do much about it.

“Give me your sidearm,” Oliver whispers and Diggle gives him a confused look because it’s not like Oliver Queen is allowed to suddenly return fire at the attackers without some serious questions being asked. “Trust me.”

Diggle gives him another look but pulls out his sidearm and hands it over.

Oliver immediately slides it over to Slade.

The alpha gives a similar confused look. His face hardens though when Oliver nods towards the armed men currently filling the building.

“Go to your grandmother,” Slade says, brushing William’s hair away from his face, before passing the boy over to Moria who shakily accepts her grandson. Pulling him onto her lap to curl around him protectively.

Slade nods to Oliver before passing his gaze behind him to Diggle.

Another nod. Another beat. And the two of them have their guns raised above the cover, returning the gunfire raining down on them.

There’s a thud. Then another. And another.

The two alpha’s drop back down and things go quiet.

A breathe. Then another. Moira goes to start standing when the thud of a boot echoes through the room.

“To the left,” Oliver says and Slade is back up.

Another shot, another thud. And then a stillness that lasts long enough that it’s safe to say they got them all.

Oliver immediately runs across to William. Picking his son up from his grandmother’s hands to hold him close.

“It’s okay, I got you, you’re safe now,” Oliver promises as the boy quietly sobs against his neck. William’s truly spooked now, Oliver knows. Too many scary moments too close together. And he hates that he can’t promise that they won’t happen again. Certainly not until after Slade’s been dealt with.

“Mr Wilson, I cannot thank you enough,” Moira says, “you saved my grandson. And of course Mr Diggle, excellent work as always.”

“Just doing my job,” Diggle assures easily before walking over to Slade. His hand out expectantly.

“You’re an excellent shot,” Slade comments as he hands over Diggle’s side arm.

“So are you. Ex-military?” Diggle knows the answer to that question but the point of asking it is to try and force Slade’s fabricated story to break down.

“Australian. Paid off my uni with a couple years sitting behind a desk and in a range,” Slade says. “Kept up in practice in both because you never know when you might need it.”

“Well it came through for you now,” Moira says cutting in again. “And again, I cannot thank you for what you have done for my family. First supporting me in my campaign and now saving us all. Oliver is grateful as well.”

She digs her elbow into Oliver’s side and he knows he will never hear the end of it if he doesn’t give in to her demand.

“Yes, thank you Mr Wilson,” Oliver says through gritted teeth. Because he’s not entirely sure the attack wasn’t Slade’s plan in the first place – even with how shocked and enraged Slade had look at it as well. The alpha has proven himself a wonderful actor.

“Oliver!” Moira chides.

“It’s fine Mrs Queen,” Slade says because he’s apparently the fucking full hero today and saving Oliver from his mother’s chastisement as well. “You’re son’s shaken I’m sure. I can only imagine how scary it must have been for his young child to be in so much danger. I’m not going to force him into social niceties to save my feelings.”

“If you’re sure,” Moira says. “But we really are both so grateful.”

“I know.”

* * *

Moria suddenly wanting to have even more time with her grandson after the events of last year is useful for things. Oliver doesn’t need to worry about feeling guilty for leaving William with Felicity when he goes out to gather information or rely on Diggle to do it for him.

It’s also less convenient because it means trusting his mother to keep William safe. And while normally Oliver would trust his mother to not put her grandchild at risk the events since Oliver has come back have tested it.

Moria’s apparent trust of Slade does not help with Oliver’s faith that William will be safe with her.

Because Oliver really doesn’t understand what Slade is doing in his house again. And really doesn’t understand why he’s sitting on the floor across from William as the boy plays with his blocks.

“Will,” Oliver says and William’s head immediately shoots up. “Come here.”

William doesn’t question him. Because, while Oliver has tried to protect him from the dangers of their lives, William seems to have still picked up on the importance of listening to his mother. He might not know exactly why Oliver is calling him close, but he immediately runs over for Oliver to pick up.

“Oh, Oliver I didn’t expect you home so soon,” Moria says when she walks into the room. Because she had just left William, Oliver’s son, her grandson, alone with an effective stranger.

“Can I talk to you?” Oliver asks, keeping an eye on Slade as the alpha stands up.

“If you insist,” Moria says, “Mr Wilson I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Slade says. As falsely charming as ever.

“What were you thinking leaving Will alone with him?” Oliver asks as soon as they are around the corner.

“Me? What are you thinking? Oliver, Mr Wilson has done nothing to earn your distrust. He saved your son not even a week ago. I do not understand why you are so distrusting of him.”

Because Oliver knows what’s buried beneath Slade’s mask of Mr Wilson. And he knows what’s buried beneath the mirakura craze. And while he doesn’t actually fully know how much of each of the three is who Slade really is now, he does know that Slade wants to hurt him by hurting those closest to him.

“Oliver?”

“I just need you to trust me on this. Please don’t put too much faith in him and don’t leave him with Will.” He’s tried not to ask too much of his mother when it comes to his overprotectiveness of William, even if he’s sure she thinks it’s overboard. But for this – he needs her to listen.

Moira seems to examine him. But after a moment shakes her head.

“I don’t get it Oliver. There is something going on that I do not understand that is causing you to have such a, frankly unfounded, distrust of this man who has done nothing to cause it. You need to explain to me why you seem to refuse to give him even a chance.”

“I- I can’t.” There’s no cover story he can come up with that doesn’t contradict his others. There’s nothing about what actually happened he can reveal without risking his mother finding out it all.

“Well, until you can give me something I’m not going to write off one of my biggest backers and a man who has saved all our lives just on your word,” Moira says and Oliver knows she isn’t going to back down on this.

He just hopes Moira realises just how dangerous Slade is before he can do any real damage.


	5. Moira

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it goes without saying when in the timeline this chapter rests within. 
> 
> I would like the record to note I really hate rewriting canon scenes. Especially ones where the relationship underpinnings behind the original dialogue are very different.

Moira doesn’t know how they got from where their car crashed to the middle of the woods. The crash knocked her enough that she only just is regaining her senses. Thea seems to have shaken it off faster, her daughter curled over and sobbing as the reality of the situation settled on her already. Oliver is just starting to wake from the unconsiousness he had apparently been knocked into.

She doesn’t understand why Slade Wilson is pacing behind them, sword in hand. But some things are starting to become more clear.

“Oliver!” Moira calls as her son seems to come into the reality of the situation.

“I was dead the last time you were offered this choice,” Slade says.

“Slade,” Oliver says, her son’s voice caught somewhere between a plea and a threat. And that too is starting to make more sense to Moira. Why he has such a distrust of Mr Wilson and no want to explain why. 

“I often wondered how you looked, when he pointed the gun at Shado and took her from me.”

“You psychopath!” Oliver spits. “Where’s William?”

“He's safe. Wouldn’t want him caught up in the middle when you chose someone else instead.”

For some reason that is starting to become clearer Moira doesn’t doubt that Slade has William safe. Despite how clear it is he wants to harm their family, William is an apparent exception.

“That’s not what happened!”

“It is what happened! It is! She told me!” Slade says, pointing off into the nothing of the forest. And Oliver’s face twists in confusion.

“What do you mean she? There’s no-one there,” Oliver says.

“Slade - you were on the island with him,” Moira says because that has clicked into place for her now. And with that piece of information she would be stupid not to figure out the other. The similarities that she had previously just thought a strange coincidence now damning evidence. “You’re William’s sire.”

The guilt on Oliver’s face confirms it.

She wonders exactly how much of his story about William’s marooned sire dying on the island after helping him learn to survive is true. It had been easier to not question it, it sounded believable enough and Oliver had doted on William enough that she assumed there was at least affection between him and the boy’s sire. 

Was the reality that the reason Oliver so wanted to keep William’s face out of the press because he didn’t want his sire to realise that he existed?

“I thought I had known true despair until I met your son. I trusted him, to make the right choice,” Slade says and Moira doesn’t know exactly what he’s talking about. Only that it likely has to do with a choice of two people to die. Oliver clearly does though, the guilt on him is clear.

“Let me make the right choice now – kill me,” Oliver says.

“No!”

There is no way Moira can let that happen. William is much, much, too young to lose his mother.

“Choose me, please,” Oliver begs. “Let my mother and sister go. Let my _son_ go. Kill me instead please.”

“I am killing you Oliver, only more slowly than you would like,” Slade says, a gun in hand.

“Don’t,” Oliver begs.

“Choose,” Slade demands. 

“I swear to god I’m going to kill you,” Oliver says and Moira can’t take it anymore.

“William’s your son,” Moria says as she gets to her feet to face Slade and it seems to throw Slade, for a moment. It’s clear he knows Will is his, and probably has for a while. But she wonders if it’s ever been stated so plainly to him.

“What are you going to tell him when you go back to him? That you killed his mother? His aunt? His grandmother? Are you going to lie to him and hope he never finds out? Secrets like that do not stay hidden Mr Wilson, he will find out one day. And he will never forgive you for it. You love him. Or at least I believe you care for him or else you wouldn’t have protected him from the gunmen and you wouldn’t be keeping him away right now. I do not think you want to cause him distress – if you kill any of us it will hurt him. No matter how much you think you can protect him from it, it will devastate him.”

“Slade,” Oliver says. And it is the first time her son has sounded like a desperate omega since he came back. A slight vulnerability to his voice that is designed to make others want to help him. “Please.”

“He changes nothing,” Slade says, his voice stiff and forced though. Moira has gained a pretty good ability to read people over her life and she knows the signs of a man buckling from his position. “You have to pay for what you’ve done.”

“And I will,” Oliver says, “but not like this. Let us go, let him go. Please Slade, he’s already so scared.”

Slade seems to consider it. Long and hard and Moira is sure hers isn’t the only breath being held while he does. He pulls the radio from his chest to his mouth and still seems to be contemplating it.

“Let the boy go,” he says and Moira can somewhat breath easily. She knows she won’t fully relax until after Slade is gone and all of them are back within the protection of security.

“This doesn’t mean anything,” Slade says to Oliver even though his back is turned from them, “I will still destroy you. Still kill you.”

“I know,” Oliver says, and Moira knows that he wants to say ‘unless I kill you first’ but doesn’t dare to. Too afraid of Slade lashing out if he does. Once they are safe though she’s sure he will be planning his retaliation for it.

“For the moment though,” Slade says and Moira can hear the faint sounds of a child’s footsteps coming – William heading towards where his mother is, “you’re free to go.”

* * *

Thea is curled into an impossibly tight ball across from Moira on one side – her whole frame wracked with sobs. Oliver is across from her on the other side, wrapped so tightly around William, his face buried in his sons hair as he clings as if that might, just maybe, keep his son safe.

Moira feels the same terror as her children. One of them could have so easily died tonight. All of them could have so easily died tonight.

Slade Wilson could have killed any or all of them.

William’s sire could have killed them.

Moira doesn‘t exactly know how she imagined William’s sire to be. Kind, she supposes. Oliver had said that the alpha had helped him learn how to survive on the island before dying, leaving Oliver pregnant and alone.

Slade Wilson is not a kind man. He may be able to present as one but the truth is that he isn’t. He’s mean and he’s strong and he’s very good at getting what he wants.

And while Oliver has certainly hardened over his time away Moira still remembers the boy she had said goodbye to the day he left on the yacht with his father.

He would never have stood a chance against an alpha like Slade.

“Whatever you’re thinking stop,” Oliver says. His nose still buried in William’s hair but his eyes watch his mother.

“Oliver-” Does she want to know the truth? She had accepted the story because it was easier, because it was kind and sweet to think of it that way. But with what she knows now it is an impossibility.

“I didn’t lie,” Oliver says, moving so his chin sits on William’s head but face is free. “Slade did help me survive on the island. And he did die before William was born. Sickness did take him, just, it didn’t kill him. I did.”

It doesn’t exactly help calm Moira’s fears. Slade can play nice, can play the kind helpful alpha until he decides he doesn’t want to anymore.

Oliver can read that on her face.

“It’s called mirakuru,” Oliver says after a moment. “We found it. It, uh, is supposed to be a miracle curer. But it has the side effect of causing your mind to warp. Slade nearly died. So I gave it to him. And then I killed him after the effects took hold. At least, I thought I had killed him.”

It’s horrible to think about. And Moira understands why Oliver kept that part of the story secret – if people knew there was something that could bring back the dead, even with the horrible side effects. Well, there would be nothing to stop them from doing everything they could to get it. Would immediately put both Oliver and William in terrible danger.

“That’s what happened to Roy isn’t it?” Thea asks, still curled in her ball but now looking across at her brother. “It’s why he suddenly started attacking people. Attacking me.”

“Yes. He didn’t get the full dose though. Slade, uh, he’s been using his blood to create a new version.”

“So Roy is going to end up like him!?” Thea asks, sounding panicked and angry. And Moira can’t help but sympathise – it's clear Thea is fond of Roy, dearly so. It’s terrible to think she will lose him like this.

“Not if the cure gets made,” Oliver says.

“What was Slade like, before the effects?” Moira asks. Because she wants to know. Needs to know now.

“He was... kind of a hard ass actually. But he did help me learn how to survive on the island. We weren’t in love, but we both wanted it. Not that either of us were much thinking about what might happen as a result. I had already killed him when I found out I was pregnant with Will,” Oliver says and Moira is sure there are still parts of the story he’s hiding from her. But she also believes that what he is saying is the truth.

“Wait so, back on the cure, what do you mean _if_ it gets made?” Thea asks. Because for her Roy’s fate is more important than the story of how her brother ended up pregnant. 

“Star Labs is working on it. If I get it I’ll cure Roy, and Slade.”

“And what if one isn’t made?” Thea asks. Because really, does Oliver even know if it can be cured? Or is he just going off hope?

“Then I’ll find another way to kill Slade,” Oliver says.

And Moira wonders what Oliver wants to do if he does get the cure. Does he hope to turn Slade back into the man that he had conceived Will with or does he still plan on killing him for what he has done since this illness, this madness, took root?


	6. Turning Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m trying not to be too harsh to Isabel because I did enjoy her as a character, but by the gods were her motivations kind of terrible. 
> 
> This is also the point where I have to somehow find a balance between what happens in canon and the fact that some of it just cannot happen seeing Moira is still alive. Gods I hope I succeeded. We’re just all ignoring how it doesn’t fully make sense for the financial backers being removed to work alright?

“You promised me that by the time the night was done Moira Queen would be dead and the election mine,” Sebastian Blood says. Pacing around Slade’s office like he is the one in charge.

“I did. But plans change. You will still get control of Starling City,” Slade says. Because he still plans on taking Oliver’s precious city from him. He just will find a different way about it.

Sebastian paces. He’s thinking, Slade knows, but he doesn’t know if he’ll like the idea, if any, Blood comes up with. The look Isabel gives him says that she doesn’t have much hope either.

“What about the kid?” Sebastian says, like he figured it out. “The grandkid.”

“What about him?” Slade does not like where this is going.

“Why don’t we take him? She nearly pulled out after her daughter got kidnapped. And I’m sure she’s already thrown after what did happen after last night. If her grandson is threatened as well it should push her over the edge-”

“No.”

“What!?”

“William Queen is not to be threatened.” It’s a strong position. Slade knows. But he isn’t going to budge on it.

“Why?” Sebastian asks. “You were so ready to destroy the Queen family to get back at Oliver. Kill them if you have to. Why is his son suddenly an exception?”

“Because it’s his,” Isabel says, suddenly bursting with laughter. “William Queen is his son as well. It’s so obvious now - he looks like you.”

“No way,” Sebastian says, but the disbelief fades from his face. “But you kidnapped him before.”

“I didn’t know then.” Why does he feel the need to defend what he did? It had been a smart, and effective, move to make Oliver react as he wanted him to. It proved that a threat to Oliver’s family could make the omega fall into predictable, controllable, line.

“Of course the brat’s yours,” Isabel says, her laughs finally fading. “It’s happening again – all my plans ruined because of a Queen bastard.”

“Your plans haven’t been ruined,” Slade says, getting up to walk over to her. “Have I not given you Queen Industries? William is, a complication, I will give. But I have not abandoned my goals. Oliver Queen will have everything he loves and cares about taken from him and then, only then, will I give him the mercy of death.”

“Except for his child. Tell me, how exactly do you plan on taking everything from an omega without harming the pup he gave birth to?” Isabel asks. “A kid he is never going to let you see. He thinks you’re a monster. He could not be that good of a fuck-”

“Enough.” Slade knew Isabel Rochev was a jealous and petty woman. What else could she be considering she was mad at a man for choosing his children over her? But he doesn’t have the time or patience for her pettiness. “How exactly William came to be is not the topic of this conversation.”

“No. I think it is exactly the topic,” Isabel says, standing firm. “I think we both need assurances that you are still as dedicated to our cause as you were when you first approached us.”

“My dedication should not be questioned,” Slade says, moving in to stand right in her space. He isn’t going to just allow the insubordination go. “Do I have to remind you that I only recently brought you back from the brink of death with my own blood? Do you think, if I was truly having doubts, I would have done that? Do you think if I was choosing William over you I would have revived the woman currently set to bankrupt his entire family and drain any hope of an inheritance he has?”

“I think that you are losing sight of what your interests are in the situation. And I think we may be best separating our interests from yours,” Isabel says with a glance at Sebastian.

“No.” Slade’s hand slams down onto the table with the word.

“No. My interests remain aligned with yours. And Moira Queen’s campaign can still be stopped without harming her grandson. Two of her biggest financial backers will be pulling out as is.” Slade had already cut his funding towards Moira’s campaign when he took Thea and Isabel will be cutting Queen Industries sooner than later. “We just make it known that should one support her campaign they will not still be breathing to see anyone elected. Without the financial support she needs Moira Queen will have no option but to remove herself from the race.”

It’s not the plan he started with but it will work. Slade has faced a number of surprises on his road to revenge and he has overcome every one of them.

He will overcome this one as well. He will still make good on his promise.

* * *

“I wanted to offer my condolences for your mother having to drop out of the race,” Sebastian says as he sits across the table from Oliver Queen. The man Slade wants to see destroyed, and, apparently the mother of his child.

“You’re the mayor,” Oliver says, “congratulations. You’ve always wanted that.”

“Believe me Oliver I wish it had happened a different way.” Maybe not the way they had eventually settled on it happening of Slade killing Moira, but Sebastian did wish it had been fairer. That he had beaten Moira Queen fair and square in the race or that she had dropped out by her own will and not because of financial push. “Your mother and I, we don’t agree on much, but we both want what is best for Starling City. I will help this city find its heart again. I promise you that.”

“Do you really think that he will let that happen?” Oliver asks. And, no, there should be no way that he, or anyone, figured it out. That anyone should have been able to find a connection between Sebastian and his allies. Oliver has to mean someone else.

“Slade Wilson,” Oliver clarifies to ensure Sebastian knows he knows.

_How?_

“How do you know I’ve been working for Slade Wilson?” Sebastian has a feeling denying it won’t do him any good. Oliver has figured it out. Somehow. Now it’s more important to figure out the how than pretend it isn’t happening. Make sure it isn’t a feat that can be easily replicated by someone who can do more damage to their causes.

“Because I’m the Arrow,” Oliver says as if it’s a simple fact. And Sebastian realises for him it probably is.

“Of course. It all makes sense now. It was right in front of me.” It was almost too obviously. The timelines match up perfectly to start with – Oliver being in the city and the Arrow being out. But Sebastian, like he’s sure so many before, was blind to the truth of it. Was it because Oliver was an omega? A mother? Is that why no-one, including Sebastian, even entertained the thought of him putting his life at risk every night to fight the dangers of the city. “You came to my office and you shook my hand. You said that together we could save this city.”

“Do you think there will be a city to be saved after you unleash Slade’s mirakuru army?” Oliver asks. Not that he seems scared. He would have every right to be with his former alpha being ready to tear everything apart in order to destroy him. Planning on breaking him down only to kill him once the fun of hurting him runs out.

No- Oliver seems prepared to face it. To do whatever it takes to protect himself and his child. Not at all like Sebastian's mother had been. 

“They’ll only cause enough damage to make the city ready.” Sometimes violence is needed to prepare people for their next stage. A trial of fire needed to make someone reveal their true strength. Sebastian needed his father’s brutality in order to learn just how capable he is. Starling need Slade’s.

“Ready for your leadership?”

“For my vision of what this city could be. A better city. And after the storm they’re about to suffer the people of Starling will support and follow me to that city.” The scared little boy is a sacrifice that has to be made. That had to be made.

“Whatever Slade promised you, he will not deliver. He wants to hurt me,” Oliver says. And Sebastian always knew Slade wanted that. It’s not different now he knows that Slade also happens to be William Queen’s sire. That doesn’t change the fact that the Queen family are an acceptable sacrifice for Sebastian to be able to allow this city to thrive. It doesn’t. “You are a pawn in a much larger game.”

“Slade promised me city hall. And he delivered. He makes good on his promises. I understand he made you a promise too.” On the island when Oliver would have likely been pregnant with his child, Slade had promised to destroy him. Had promised to kill him after making him suffer.

It wasn’t a fight between two men that happened to be an alpha and omega. It was a fight between mates. Started because the alpha wanted to destroy his omega and his omega wasn’t going to not fight back.

But that doesn’t matter. Not really. Sebastian needs Slade’s power and his men to prepare the city for Sebastian’s leadership. He can’t care that the reason Slade’s on board is a want to terrorise his omega and child.

It’s much too late in the game to start to.

* * *

So William Queen is Slade Wilson’s son. Biologically speaking, at least.

That shouldn’t change anything.

Slade Wilson had made a promise. Both to Oliver Queen and Isabel. To go back on it just because the omega had pushed out his bastard during the time between making the promise and now is ludicrous. 

And yet Isabel fears that is what is happening again.

Slade is already saying that William is not to be touched. Next it will be that Oliver needs some of his inheritance back so the boy can be looked after. Then after that it’ll be Isabel fired and sent away so they can all play happy families and pretend this never happened.

No.

She will not allow it.

No again.

The army they have put together is strong. But dumb. Men chosen for their capacity for violence, their want for revenge against a city that incarcerated them, not for any tactical ability. They do not care why they have been super-powered to pillage and rape Starling City. Only that they have been super-powered and given effectively free reign on how they bring the destruction down.

They do not care why Isabel stands in front of them now despite the fact that their orders have been completely spelt out for them. Just waiting to find what carnage she requests of them.

“I want you to find the Queen’s, find the boy with them,” Isabel says because with Moira still alive Oliver will likely keep his son with his mother where ever he believes to be safest, “and I want you to kill him. You are to kill William Queen.”

The men cheer at it. If any of them had any difficulty with killing a child the mirakuru had burned it out of them. They are just grateful to have a target for their bloodlust.

If Slade wanted to go the way Robert did in choosing his child over Isabel that’s fine. But Isabel isn’t going to be dumped again without a fight.

And really. How will Slade pick his bastard over her if the pup is dead?


	7. City of Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, starting to move pieces into place for the reworked final. This is the part of the season that I most had to actually change so of course it’s getting more chapters than any other.

“Where are you taking us?” Thea asks as Oliver leads Moira and her into what seems to be some bunker. And Moira hates that it’s all on him to keep them safe from Slade Wilson. There is nothing she can do any longer to protect her family apart from trust her son to do it for her.

“Someplace safe,” Oliver replies, William secure in his arms. “Slade shouldn’t be able to find you here.”

“And what, you’re just going to go out there and fight him?” Thea asks.

“Yes.”

“What about the cure? Why don’t we wait for that so we can cure both him and Roy?” Thea asks. Because she can’t just write Roy off like Oliver apparently can Slade. Because for her the only hope is in the cure.

“We don’t have time,” Oliver says. “They’re unleashing the army tonight. I need to stop Slade and I cannot do it if you are possibly in danger.”

“So you’re just going to abandon us here?” Thea asks, gesturing around the cold concrete around them. “Where even is here? I thought you said your secret-lair was at the club?”

“It was,” Oliver says and it’s kind of funny to think that Oliver starting up his nightclub was merely to cover up what he was doing under it. The club that would become Thea’s pride. “This was a second location in case it ever got compromised. But it became a place I could just go and be alone.”

Moira wonders how often that is. There’s a cot in the back corner, but other than that it looks cold and bare. Certainly no place for an omega to nest up in, even one as resilient as her son had become.

“So what – are we supposed to just sit here waiting until you give us the all clear?” Thea asks.

“Yes – Diggle will come for you when it’s safe.” 

“That’s stupid. What about Roy? Can’t I do anything to help get the cure to him? Go wait at the labs or something?”

“No. Thea – all the people left that I care about, we are all in his crosshairs. I need to know you are safe and being here is the best way I can ensure it.”

It’s true. Especially seeing he’s leaving William with them. Slade seems to have agreed to the terms that William is to be kept out of the violence. Oliver is banking on, or at least hoping, that even if Slade does learn the location of the bunker he will avoid it because of his son.

“And what do you plan on doing?” Moira asks. Because if anyone is in the most danger it will be Oliver.

“I’m going to face Slade. I’m going to end this,” Oliver says, handing William over to his mother. Although he seems unwilling to break contact – hand gently rubbing at William’s cheek.

It suddenly strikes Moira that Oliver didn’t say he would tell them once it was safe.

“You plan on letting him kill you.”

“Ollie, no!” Thea says immediately. Because he can’t – William is much too young. Has faced enough trauma over the last month or so without adding his mother dying to it as well.

Oliver flinches like he’s been caught out. “I will do whatever it takes to end this. I’m not going to go to him asking for it but, if I can’t beat him, can’t kill them, than at least everyone else will be safe.”

Moira realises he’s right. It has to end tonight one way or another. And she has only had small glimpses of Slade’s power and knows that without the cure Oliver is unlikely to come out the victor.

“Oliver, I promise you I will take care of William until my dying breath,” Moira says because she cannot just let her son walk out to his possible death without saying anything again. “But I will never be able to replace his mother. Whatever decisions you make tonight, just remember that he’s here waiting for you to come back.”

“I will,” Oliver promises.

Moira knows she can only hope and pray he does return.

* * *

It strikes Laurel that this is the first time she’s really seen the Arrow since she found out that he’s also Oliver.

Sure she’s seen the Arrow in passing. She saw him the night she confronted him. But all of those were brief moments. This is... working with him. Watching him move and plan and operate.

He moves with purpose. And Laurel realises she’s seen Oliver move like that at times as well. Seen the Arrow have a softness rare in an alpha and Ollie a firmness rare in an omega. But she never put it together.

Why didn’t she put it together?

Did she get so caught up in the person Oliver was before he left? The fact that that person could never have done what the Arrow did? Was it William? Oliver now a mother?

And it’s funny. To think she always wondered who William’s sire was since the two of them returned from the island. Who was the alpha that Oliver actually had a kid with. She had tried not to, of course. She knew it was petty jealousy. Knew it was futile trying to measure herself up against a dead alpha to try and figure out what she was lacking.

But it turns out the alpha isn’t dead.

Slade might not have told Laurel that he was on the island with Oliver, but he might as well have. He knew Oliver was the Arrow, he had a clear vendetta against him, and William looks so damn like him.

“What do you plan on doing?” she asks. She knows she doesn’t deserve to ask but she does.

“I’m going to kill him.”

“That’s what Felicity is worried about.”

“Laurel, I’ve killed before.” Much like Sara. The two of them were killers now. It seemed Oliver, the Arrow, was trying to try a different way. Seemed like he had succeeded for nearly a whole year. And now he was just going to throw it away. “And I need to protect my family. He will never give up until all of us is in the ground.”

“Really? Even if you cure him?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“Well I mean, you said he was drugged with the mirakuru. And that it warps the minds of those who have it in them. When he’s cured he might not want to hurt you anymore.” Maybe she shouldn’t be arguing in his defence. If she ever wants a chance with Oliver than having him kill the alpha that sired his kid would help her chances. But she isn’t so petty as to condemn a man to death just because they’re both fond of the same omega. Especially seeing the omega can be a cheating jerk-ward at times.

“I can’t take the chance.”

“Ollie, he’s the father of your child. And I get that you two weren’t ‘in love’, but, I guess if I had been drugged by something that sends me violent and crazy, then I’d at least want the chance to prove that without it I’m no longer a danger.”

Funnily enough it’s almost too easy to put herself in Slade Wilson’s feet. To imagine if her and Oliver had had a kid and that the alcohol and drugs she took warped her brain into something violent. And she would hope that she would be given a second chance now she’s worked towards healing herself.

“And if we’re wrong and he still wants me dead he could leave William without me. I can’t take that chance. Will has already lived without a father. He can do it again. I don’t want him to have to live without a mother.”

“So you’d kill an innocent man?”

“Slade Wilson was hardly innocent even before the mirakuru,” Oliver responds immediately before sighing. “But I get what you’re saying. If it’s possible I will give him the chance to prove it is just the effects of the mirakuru. But I made a promise to my mother that I would do everything in my power to return to William. And I won’t risk that promise just to give Slade a chance.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to.” If it came down to it Laurel would prefer Slade dead over Oliver. But, and maybe it’s the naïve side of her that didn’t get lost on an island and forever changed, she thinks he at least deserves the chance of recovery.

* * *

The nest, den, lair, whatever, Oliver dumped them in is cold and boring and horrid. Thea gets that Oliver is tough and cold and all that after the island, but even with that? Couldn’t he have put a magazine in here or something?

“Thea sit down,” Moira says, William on her lap. And Thea would be offended with her watching her pace but it’s not like there is anything else in this place to watch? So her mother might as well watch her.

William’s watching her as well but at least he’s cute while doing it.

William who is about to be dealing with the same dilemma Thea is. His father is about to become a criminal responsible for mass deaths across the city. He’s just too young to understand it now.

“Come here Will,” Thea says reaching out for her nephew. “Why don’t us two kids of mass murders go sit in a corner to not stress Moira Queen.”

“Thea!” Moira chastises but does hand William over. Thea wonders if her mother hopes it will calm her down, or something. “You are both so much more than your fathers.”

“Then why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“Because while Malcom was still alive you would have been in more danger had you have known,” Moira says like it just explains it all.

“And after he died?” Malcom has been dead for a year now. A whole year where Moira kept the secret.

Moira winces at it. “Thea, there’s something you need to know.”

“What is it now?” What new lie is her mother going to spin to try and keep her near? Or what truth is she going to reveal as a desperate bid to keep her daughter close? Thea is done with these games.

“Malcom-”

There’s a rumble outside the base as the walls shake. Like someone knocking at the door. Like they’re knocking the door down.

“What was that?” Thea asks. It’s way too early for Ollie to be returning to tell them it’s safe.

There’s another shake and another bang. This time joined with the sounds of something cracking.

“Thea, take William into one of the back rooms,” Moria says.

“What about you?” If it isn’t Oliver or Diggle or Sara and instead one of Slade’s men, well, it’s unlikely Moira will get lucky again.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Mom-”

There’s another bang and this time the cracking sounds more like collapsing.

“Thea you need to go right now.”

Her mother’s right. They have to move further back into the base to hopefully one of the more defendable rooms.

But Thea isn’t going to just leave her mother out in the open to die at the hands of a madman.

“Come one.” She grabs her mother’s hand and drags her into the back room with her. Locking the door behind her.

“Thea-”

“Don’t. I don’t want to hear it.” She doesn’t have time to listen to her mother trying to explain why she should have let her die. Not when they have god knows how many killers possibly about to break down the door. “I need you to help me find a gun.”

“What?”

“This is Oliver’s backup base or whatever and if he’s really the Arrow than he’s got to have some weapons here, I mean just in case. Help me find them so we’re not just sitting here waiting to be killed.” She hates the idea of it. It might be the alpha in her but Thea hates just being the victim. And while she’s pretty sure she’d have no hope with a bow. If they can just find a gun-

There’s another bang. And this time the main door has to have given way.

“Mum - gun.”

“Right.”

Apparently they picked the right room because the draws of it are full of weapons. Most of it is stuff Thea is pretty sure she has no hope of using but there is handguns. And handguns are easy enough.

“Why would Slade send them here?” Thea asks because it doesn’t make sense. “Surely he knows William’s here.”

“I don’t think Slade sent them,” Moira says.

“Then who.” Who, if not Slade would have such a vendetta to want to destroy their family like this? 

“Isabel Rochev.”

“Why?” It doesn’t make sense. None of this makes sense.

“I’ll explain it when we make it out of here. If we make it out.”

The banging starts on the door to the room they’re in.

“Thea,” Moira says, “if we don’t make it out of here.”

“Yeah, I know mum.”

Another bang and the door goes down.

Thea has time to want to scream before emptying the gun into the man. And he just doesn’t go down.

“What?” Thea knows she probably isn’t doing the best at firing the gun but she’s pretty sure that so long as you hit the body of the person advancing they should go down. Or at least slow down.

“Give me the kid.” The man says and for the first time in Thea’s life she knows she will die before she does something. She will not hand William over no matter what.

The man goes down with an arrow through his back.

And Thea really, truly, thinks Oliver is there to save them.

When a mad clad in back steps forward that belief immediately drains.

“Oh no,” Moira says and Thea braces for her death.

“Hello Moira, Thea.” The hood is pulled back to reveal Malcom Merlyn. Reveal Thea’s father.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to protect my daughter,” Malcom says simply. “Apparently from a man who would have his son killed.”

“May I remind you, Malcom,” Moira says, “that you are also responsible for your son’s death.”

There’s the sound of heavy footsteps in the distance. Like a group of super-drug-roided-up alphas rushing to their location.

“How about we argue about this after we get out of here?” Malcom asks, and honestly Thea isn’t going to argue that nor does she think her mother will.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, time to wrap it all up to a conclusion. There’s still three more chapters to go but those chapters are covering a lot more time I them than these. Effectively they will be epilogue part 1 and part 2 (even if epilogue part 1 is two parts and… has the final bit of the conclusion in it). 
> 
> Also, hey, Sebastian Blood, when did you become a main character of this? Oh well you still died a puppet for the story.

“What the hell is going on?” Sebastian asks, storming into Slade’s office. “One of your juiced-up jack-boots just killed my entire office staff, and snapped the district attorney’s neck.”

“And?” Slade asks.

“And... and I never agreed to this!” Yes Sebastian agreed to a level of destruction. Had requested it. But not to this level. If it keeps going for much longer than there will be no hope to rebuild. “You were supposed to call off your dogs.”

“That was your plan, Mr Blood, not mine,” Slade says.

“We had a deal.” Slade would get his revenge on Oliver Queen by causing mayhem in the city. But it was mayhem that Sebastian could also use. A culling of the fat of the city to help Sebastian bring it into a new day.

This is just a cull of the city.

“And do you feel that I’ve not lived up to my end of it?” Slade asks.

“Those are innocent people, dying out there. You do not need to kill them.” Sebastian knew some people would have to die for the plan to succeed. But not the whole cities worth. Not a massacre of people who had nothing to do with any of their goals.

“Yes I do. I made a promise to someone once, and I will uphold it,” Slade says.

“So this really is about you just trying to hurt Oliver Queen?” All of it. Just an elaborate plan of Slade’s to bully and terrorise his omega?

“I vowed to him that I would take away everything and everyone he loves. And he loves this city.”

“What about your son?”

“What about him?”

“Just the other week you were saying he was not to be harmed.” Had gotten enraged when Sebastian had suggested even just kidnapping him again. And now? “He’s out there in the city. Is he suddenly an acceptable casualty as well?”

“You will not question me where my son is concerned,” Slade says. Suddenly so much more in Sebastian’s space. And Sebastian only just stops himself from backing down.

“I am not questioning I am merely wondering. Do you want the boy safe or do you want to take all that Oliver Queen cares about from him?” The two are in active contradiction. There will never be anyone Oliver Queen cares about more than his son. So if Slade truly wants to break him down to nothing before killing him he will have to kill the pup. Will have to kill his son.

Sebastian remembers what he did when his father tried to kill him.

Not that William Queen is anywhere near old enough to kill his father. Even without the mirakuru in Slade.

Oliver though-

And if Slade was somehow cured-

“I will take everything Oliver cares about from him. And if that includes William Queen then so be it,” Slade says. And Sebastian can’t help but notice how Isabel grins at it.

And it appears Oliver was right in that he shouldn’t have trusted Slade. But Sebastian isn’t just going to stand around and let him destroy the city. Not when he can do something about it.

* * *

Oliver walks over the bodies filling the Mayor’s office.

Sebastian Blood claims he has the cure. That alone is worth the risk of it being a trap.

“As a young boy I was plagued my nightmares,” Sebastian says when they enter, standing by the window of the room, his Brother Blood mask in hand. “Every night, I would wake up in a cold sweat frightened and alone. It was my father’s face that haunted me. And this is how I saw him – the embodiment of desperation and despair. I made this mask to conquer my fears, and remind myself why I fight, every day, to give this city's most desperate a chance. All I ever wanted to do was help people Oliver.”

“Then help me believe. Where is the cure?” With the cure Oliver stands a real chance at saving Roy. At beating Slade. At saving his family.

“Slade Wilson will not rest until he honours the promise he made you,” Sebastian says, as if Oliver doesn’t already know that.

“I won’t be so easy to kill once we level the playing field.” Slade might have been the one to originally train Oliver but Oliver has had five years away from him to gain other skills.

“He’s not interested in killing you. Not until he’s taken away everything and everyone you love,” Sebastian says, picking up the case from where he stashed it behind his desk and bringing it over. “I fear that extends to your son as well now. And I think Ms Rochev might have already put steps in place to target him.”

“I understand.” Oliver feared that. Feared his family, his son, would be a target that night. That’s why he put them in the bunker – hopefully it remains hidden. Still, the sooner he stops Slade the sooner they will all be safe again. “I have to go.”

“I hope you can beat him with this,” Sebastian says as Oliver goes to leave. “For all our sakes. And when this is over I promise you, I will do everything in my power to rebuild Starling city. And I won’t just make it what it was, I will make it better. Like I always planned.”

“You really think after everything that’s happened, after what you’ve done, that they’ll still let you be mayor?” Sebastian was involved with causing this to come down on them. He is at least partially responsible for every death that happens tonight. 

“Why not? No one knows I’ve done anything except try to save this city. And if you tell anyone about my mask, I will tell them about yours,” Sebastian says. A threat. But one Oliver doesn’t have time to engage with.

“Do what you have to Sebastian.”

Oliver knows he will be. Doing whatever he has to in order to protect his family. In order to protect Will. Including killing both Slade and Isabel.

* * *

Sebastian isn’t surprised when Isabel shows up at his office. He knew when he took the cure it was only a matter of time.

“You gave it to him didn’t you?” she asks. And they both know who the ‘him’ is – the Arrow, Oliver.

“I did what I thought was necessary.” Slade had gone too far. And maybe, if Oliver manages to cure him, he’ll realise that before he dies. “Don’t worry I’ll tell Slade.”

Isabel walks over to his phone to connect him to the incoming call.

“Does he still have the cure?” Slade asks from the other side of the phone-line.

“No,” Isabel says for Sebastian.

“Slade you betrayed-“ Sebastian doesn’t know where to start, Slade’s betrayal of his deal? The city? His son?

Slade cuts him off before he has a chance. “Goodbye Mr Blood.”

Sebastian isn’t that surprised when Isabel drives both her swords into his chest. He figured there would be a chance they would come after him for his betrayal before Oliver managed to defeat them.

Oh well, if he was going to die anyway-

“She’s sent the army after him. Slade- your son.”

The last thing Sebastian hears is an enraged yell. Hopefully he helped.

* * *

“We have a new big problem, which considering our other ones, is really saying something. I hacked a satellite and tasked it for thermographic imaging. All of Slade’s men are gathering outside your second base,” Felicity says after they discover Slade’s offices empty.

“Why?” Detective Lance says.

“Because that’s where I put the Queen family to be safe.” Where Oliver put his family. Where he put his son. “Sebastian was right.”

“Right about what?” Lance demands.

“That Isabel ordered them to target William Queen first,” Felicity fills in.

“Seriously? Why do these people hate the Queen family so damned much?” Lance asks. Because he’s really the only person left in their circle that doesn’t know the truth. Doesn’t know that William is Slade Wilson’s son.

“We don’t have time to explain,” Oliver says because they don’t. They have to move right now. Have to get to them in time. Get to William in time. “We’re going to go save them.”

He has an army. He has the cure. He is going to win.

* * *

Isabel, the vindictive, spiteful, bitch, had gone behind Slade’s back and ordered his army to kill William. For that Slade had cut her head off – something not even the mirakuru could cure. But she had already cut the communications off between him and his men so he cannot simply order them off from the safety of one of his offices.

Slade has to go to them himself to call them off.

A dangerous move seeing Oliver now has the cure.

But the alternative? He cannot allow it.

He arrives just as his men start going down. Oliver apparently having recruited the League of Assassins to his cause. Armed them and his own allies with cure-infused arrows.

It appears Oliver has already hurried ahead. Leaving Slade’s army to his hired army.

Slade’s army has clearly breached the stronghold Oliver stashed his family in meaning there was little time to waste for him if he wanted to protect his son.

Slade is not going to stall either.

The League’s archers tries to hit him with their cure-infused arrows but his armour is strong enough to deflect their arrows.

“Fall back,” he orders his men as he reaches them. This wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go. They were supposed to use the tunnels to escape while A.R.G.U.S. blew the city until it was good for nothing for graves. Oliver was supposed to be there. To see his people die. Before Slade finally slit his throat. “Fall back!”

Some do. Others though are too caught up in their rage. In the destruction and death they might still be able to rain down on others.

“Fall back,” Slade yells as he walks into the base.

The inside is even more in chaos than the outside. Slade finds himself walking over the unconscious bodies of his men and the dead bodies of the few League members who have fallen. He doesn’t care about either of them. 

He has to get to Oliver.

He has to get to William.

He tears though those that dare to get in his way.

It’s clear where in the base the Queens are. It’s where the most concentration of Slade’s men are. Although, most aren’t able to get close without getting an arrow in their chest.

Oliver.

He’s protecting his family. Protecting his son.

Protecting their son.

When Slade fights his way over there he discovers he’s not alone. Apparently not the only parent showed up to protect his child. Malcom Merlyn returning to the city in its time of desperation to protect Thea Queen.

It will make it harder for Slade to kill her to get to Oliver, but not impossible.

Merlyn notices him first.

He doesn’t engage like Slade honestly expects him to.

“Oliver,” Merlyn says, glancing behind him for only a second.

Oliver steps out from the back room of his base. And even beneath his mask and his hood Slade can read his expression clearly: murderous rage.

“Slade!” Oliver yells immediately starting to fire arrows at Slade. And Slade gets it – as far as Oliver knows Slade ordered the death of his son. Of their son.

Even if Oliver’s rage in this instance is fair that doesn’t mean that he’s just going to let him win. His armour prevents the arrows from getting to him but Oliver is closing the distance between them fast.

Slade knows Oliver getting close makes it more likely he’ll be able to successfully inject Slade with the cure. But Slade also realises how much more satisfying it will be to get his hands on Oliver. How much more satisfying it will be to win right up and close and personal.

And he’s right. It is more satisfying. Trading blows with Oliver in the close space forced on them by the others jostling for room in the battle around them.

It’s like back on the island. Sparring. But with much higher stakes. More immediate stakes.

Oliver feints left but Slade is already there. The blow clearly knocks Oliver but he gets himself together again. Slade swings and Oliver ducks just in time, causing Slade to overbalance. He catches himself before Oliver gets a blow in. Oliver swings again and Slade ducks back.

Slade has a chance to recover before Oliver’s next swing to block it. But the blow doesn’t connect where he thinks it will – instead there’s the sharp piece in the gaps between his armour.

When Slade looks down there’s a syringe arrow sticking out of it the gap.

“Huh, good job kid.”

“Five yours ago you promised you would destroy me for my betrayal,” Oliver says as black fades into Slade’s vision, unconsciousness threatening him. “Four years ago I promised my son I would do anything to protect him.”

And, huh, Slade thinks he gets it now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we’re having at least 3 epilogue chapters now. This was not supposed to be this long but it is. So the second part of what was going to be this chapter is now another chapter.

“Congratulations Mr Queen, you are possibly the first person to defeat Deathstroke the Terminator,” Amanda Waller says. Her men taking Slade’s, still alive, body in when Oliver contacted her to call off the drone strike. “Is there something you would like in reward or shall I have to owe you one later?”

“Yes - I want to be there when he wakes up. Alone.”

“A little early for a conjugal visit Mr Queen,” Amanda says.

“With my bow,” Oliver adds giving Amanda a dry look. He has given Slade the chance to be cured and prove his obsession with destroying Oliver’s life was merely the result of the mirakuru. But if it isn’t Oliver needs to remove the threat to his son.

“Fine,” Amanda says, gesturing for the men with her to follow her out.

Oliver doesn’t exactly know what to do while he waits for Slade to wake up. Tries not to think about whether he wants Slade to still have his vendetta. In a way things would be simpler if he did. If Slade was still the villain that hated Oliver and was a danger to William it would be easy to just kill him or lock him up far, far, away from them.

If it is just the mirakuru then it becomes more infinitively more complicated.

Slade starts to stir and Oliver aims his bow. At the first sign of aggression, of threat, he will put an arrow in his shoulder. And if that doesn’t stop him an arrow in his heart.

“Hey kid,” Slade grumbles as he wakes.

“Slade.”

“You can put the bow down.”

“Why should I trust you?” It’d be too easy for Slade to get him to drop his guard based on the fact he is cured of the mirakuru only to take advantage of it to kill Oliver before the guards even realise.

“Because I currently have the worst hangover in my life and my memory ain’t doing much better,” Slade says, pushing himself up onto his hand to sit up.

“Do you know where we are?” Oliver asks.

“Well I know we’re off the island,” Slade says, “so I’m gonna’ guess back in your home town.”

“Close, we’re in an A.R.G.U.S. base just outside it.” Oliver lowers the bow. This could all be an act but Slade does seem genuinely confused.

Slade groans, managing to actually sit up properly on the cot. “Right. Because I tried to blow up the city.”

“Actually A.R.G.U.S. was going to blow up the city, because you unleashed an army of superpowered criminals on it,” Oliver explains.

“No I definitively planned on having the city blown up,” Slade says, and Oliver watches as the alpha frowns piecing together his memories, “by unleashing the army. Shit.”

“That basically sums it up.” Oliver drops the bow. It’s clear without the mirakuru Slade’s anger is a lot less targeted at Oliver, or the people he cares about.

“What about the kid?” Slade asks, his voice heavy. “Our- your kid.”

“He’s okay, the men didn’t get to him.” Thanks a good deal to Malcom Merlyn. And Oliver is not looking forward to owing him a favour as a result. “He’s terrified though.”

“I’d be more worried if he wasn’t,” Slade says and when Oliver looks over he’s avoiding his gaze. “So what happens to me now?”

“That is up to you.” Now that it’s clear that without the mirakuru Slade is just his base level of dangerous the plan on locking him up and throwing away the key no longer the only option.

“I killed people Oliver. You don’t get to get away with that scot-free.”

“You were under the effects of a drug proven to destabilise your mind and make you do things you would never otherwise consider.”

“I still need to be isolated,” Slade says, finally pulling himself to his feet. “Until I can get my head screwed on right.”

“So where do you want to go?”

“Where do you think kid?” Slade asks. Because it is obvious – the island, Lian Yu. “Purgatory is a pretty fitting place for a man both condemned and innocent.”

“I will tell Waller your decision than,” Oliver says. And he tries not to let it show how relieved he will be to know Slade will be on an island that is very hard to get off without someone giving you a lift. He knows it wasn’t really Slade who threatened everything he cared about but he still can’t shake the danger. “Do you want to see William before you go?”

“Nah. That boy deserves a real father, and I might be it in the future but for now I won’t taunt him with maybe’s. I’ve put him through enough.”

* * *

Living under the Foundry isn’t anywhere near as terrible as Oliver is sure his mother pictured when he told her he was going to do that. She had moved in to one of Walter’s spare bedrooms, and, while Walter had offered Oliver and William ones as well, Oliver didn’t want to intrude.

He did relent to their insistencies that he and William at least get proper beds down here though.

William loves it. And without a nightclub pounding overhead Oliver doesn’t worry about his baby not getting enough sleep. Only him getting possibly a bit too good at convincing the rest of ‘team Arrow’ to spoil him.

Sara doesn’t ring from where she is with the League. And neither does Thea, having left with Merlyn while Oliver was still sorting out Slade’s transport to Lian Yu. The comm he gave Slade to contact him when the alpha wanted off the island silent as well.

At least until it crackles to life one night after Oliver finally drags himself to his bed.

“Hey kid,” Slade’s voice crackles though it.

“Slade?” Oliver asks into it. “You don’t already want off do you?”

Slade had only been on the island for a couple of months. Surely he hadn’t already felt he redeemed himself enough after all he did?

“Nah, I’m good him for a bit longer I think,” Slade says.

“So why did you contact me?”

“I don’t know if you remember kid but this place is lonely as fuck,” Slade says. “Just wanted to talk to someone, and I don’t think the A.R.G.U.S. soldiers here much like me. Possibly because I keep nicking there food shipments when I want something other than fish for dinner.”

Oliver doesn’t know if he should warn Slade that that is probably a test by Waller to see if Slade is still as keen of a strategist as he was before.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Didn’t think that far,” Slade says.

“I have to warn you then, I’m not much of a conversationalist anymore.” Slade used to complain that Oliver wanted to talk his ear off on the island. Nobody would say that about him anymore.

“What about William?”

“What about him?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want too. But my memories of the bit I got to deal with him have come back and I realised I’ve missed most of his life so far. So I was just wondering what he was like when he was younger.”

“Quiet,” Oliver says, after a moment of contemplation. “He was so quiet. The situation we were in was far from the safest though and I think he knew. He hardly ever cried.”

“You were working for A.R.G.U.S. then weren’t you?” Slade asks, and Oliver isn’t sure if it’s just the radio crackle distorting it but it sounds like the one Slade got when he was planning something.

“Slade.” Lian Yu is owned and controlled by A.R.G.U.S.. Threatening them while on it is suicide if not just completely moronic.

“No need to get your panties in a twist kid. I ain’t planning nothing. Just trying to piece together my memories and the facts from them.”

“Good.” The last thing Oliver needs is Amanda coming down on him and William because of Slade doing something stupid.

* * *

“Hello Slade,” Oliver says when the radio crackles to life again.

“Kid you sound like shit.”

“Sorry, it’s, uh, been a rough week I guess.” Things had been starting to go so well and it feels like it all just went to hell in a matter of days.

“What happened?”

“Sara died.” That was the start of it all really.

“That was the chick in black wasn’t it?” Slade asks. “Shit – she didn’t seem an easy one to take down.”

“Yeah.” That’s what they all thought. “The league want us to find her killer.”

“And that’s proving easier said than done I’m guessing.”

“Pretty much.” Not that Oliver knows if he wants to find them only to have Nyssa immediately execute them.

“And here my biggest problem is that there is apparently even more booby-traps across this island. Was that us or A.R.G.U.S., by the way?”

“Some of them would be us.” They had planted more after they had given Slade the mirakuru.

“Hm,” Slade grumbles. “Someone really needs to draw a bloody map of them all.”

* * *

“I’m just trying to put William to bed, I’ll be able to talk in a bit,” Oliver says when the radio crackles on.

“Is he there?” Slade asks and Will looks at Oliver bug-eyed. He’d figured out Slade was his father somehow – probably because Oliver didn’t think to tell everyone not to tell him.

“Yeah he is,” Oliver says, picking Will up to sit on his lap. “Say hi Will.”

“Hi,” Will says obediently, as Oliver nuzzles into his hair.

“Hey kiddo,” Slade says, and he sounds more alert than he has the other times he and Oliver talked. Oliver tries not to think too hard into it. “How- how are you?”

“Good,” William says, glancing up at Oliver. Looking for some cue that he should stop. “Pretty fun living here.”

“Yeah?” Slade says, acknowledgement to keep William talking.

“Yeah there’s lot of places to hide. Not as big as the manor but I like my bed here better,” William says and Oliver can’t help but smile.

“He really likes his bed here,” Oliver adds. And he’s glad he let his mother and Walter buy it for William, even if at the time it had grated relying on Walter’s charity.

“Must be a good bed then,” Slade says.

“Yeah, I’ll have to make sure I take it when we move in with aunty Thea,” Oliver says.

“So you are moving in with her despite her… dad footing the bill?” Slade asks.

“I think so. Family’s important to me. Plus it’ll give me the chance to get to spend more time with her now we’re having no more secrets between us,” Oliver says. He also hopes being with her will let him mitigate Malcom’s influence on her.

* * *

“How you going kid?”

“I have a stalker,” Oliver says. “Well, the Arrow has a stalker.”

“Do they know he has a kid?” Slade asks and Oliver can hear how funny he finds the situation in his voice even past the radio crackle.

“No. She think he’s an alpha. Her alpha mate, to be exact.”

Slade’s laugh sounds horribly crackly over the radio and Oliver can only pinch at the bridge of his nose at it.

“Oh god that is too funny,” Slade says after he finally, _finally_ gets himself under control. “Shit, I don’t mean to laugh at your suffering kid but how the fuck does everyone keep thinking you’re a damned alpha?”

“Hey! I can be plenty like an alpha!” Oliver protests. Because he thinks he’s doing a pretty damn good job of keeping his true designation a secret when out as the Arrow.

“If you say so kid,” Slade says but Oliver is pretty sure he’s a moments off breaking into laughter again. “So are you gonna’ break it to her? You are gonna’ break it to her right?”

“I don’t know. I have to be careful with her she’s… dangerous.” Oliver doesn’t want others caught in the crosshairs of her obsession.

“So are you kid.”

“Yeah, well, but there’s been enough death over the past months. I don’t want to add anymore.”

* * *

“Slade,” Oliver says into his radio. The first time he’s contacted Slade first.

“Oliver you okay?” Slade says.

“Yes.” No. He’s going to challenge Ra’s Al Ghul to the death to try and save his sister. “I might not be able to pick you up from the island when you want to leave.”

“Oliver what’s happening?” Slade demands.

“Slade it’s… it doesn’t matter. Just, if I’m not can you look after William for me. I’m not asking you to be his father, just, watch over him. Make sure nobody hurts him okay?” Oliver needs to be sure William will be okay. He knows his mother will be able to look after William’s emotional needs, and Walter his financial. But the world is dangerous and he needs to know someone will be making sure Will doesn’t have to face up to the dangers of it.

“Oliver, tell me what is going on!”

“Just promise me-“

“Oliver!”

“Slade! I need you to promise me this. Okay?” It’s all he will ask in return for the hell Slade put them through the last year. Another promise – this time to protect their son.

“Okay,” Slade says. “Kid, okay, I promise. I promise you I’ll look out for him. But you need to promise me that whatever you’re facing you’re not just going to let it win okay? Whoever it is you’re not just going to let them win.”

“I won’t.” Oliver has no plans on just letting Ra’s Al Ghul win. But he also knows that his chances of coming back aren’t the highest.

* * *

“So did you win?” Slade asks after he and Oliver exchange greetings.

“What?”

“Well you’re not dead like you were so scared you would be so you must have won?” Slade asks again.

“No.” Ra’s Al Ghul had drove a sword through him and pushed Oliver off the edge of the cliff.

“So how are you talking to me right now?”

“Someone saved me.” And hopefully they will not die for it.

“Well, I think it’s time I got off this god-forsaken island,” Slade says.

“Slade-“ He doesn’t want Slade to leave just for him. Doesn’t want Slade to think he needs him to come save him like he did so many times on the island. Oliver can look after himself now.

“Ain’t for you kid. I’ve done enough time to get my head back on right. And it sounds like things are a lot more interesting in the world of the living than this island of the dead,” Slade says. “Come get me when you’re able to.”

“Actually,” Oliver says because he just realised Malcom might be right that they all need some different training. “Can I bring some people to you first?”


	10. Lian Yu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this just feel like a different fic now? It still is all part of the same fic in my head but I recognise it’s wondered off into almost one-shot territory here. 
> 
> Also yes I did fade-to-black on the sex. As much as I would have liked to write the sex as well it didn't fit with the "try and match the show as closely as possible" goal I had. Might write it separately though.

“He’s not here,” Thea says as the three of them stand on the beach of Lian Yu. She doesn’t look happy to be there, which makes sense – it’s nowhere near as pleasant as Corto Maltese would have been. That’s part of the point.

“Of course not, I didn’t tell the exact time we would be arriving,” Oliver says.

“So what? We just wait for him here?” Roy asks. And he’s hardly left Starling City for most of his life so this is completely different terrain for him.

Oliver has a feeling the next few days are going to be spent listening to the two of them bitching about being on the island.

Karma, probably, for his own complaints when he first was stranded here.

“No, we go find him.” Oliver had told Slade specifically not to come meet them even if he saw the helicopter fly in for this exact reason. “Survival doesn’t just come in the form of being able to beat your enemies. It also is in being able to find them. Now come on.”

* * *

The forest of Lian Yu are still so similar to how they were when Oliver last was on it. 

And going by how both Roy and Thea complain, just as frustrating to a newcomer as when Oliver first arrived.

Slade has done a good job covering his tracks. It also seems he has crossed the island multiple times over his months there. Even Oliver struggles to pick up his most current trail to follow. Useful, in teaching his two current students how to do it. Something they do seem to be paying attention to.

Good. It means they’re taking the threat seriously.

There’s a snap of a branch to their left. Faint, like someone trying to sneak up on them.

“Stop.”

“Why?” Roy asks.

“Sh!” Oliver snaps, before dropping his voice as quiet as he can while still knowing the others two will hear. “We’re not alone.”

“Slade?” Thea asks just as quiet. “Or someone else.”

“I don’t know.” If it was Slade than he should know it’s them. Unless he’s playing hard to get. But it might also be one of the few A.R.G.U.S agents on the island to guard it. Or, of course, someone else who found it.

It could also be an animal. But that is much more unlikely.

Oliver takes a careful step forward, Thea and Roy moving closer to him, covering his flanks.

There’s another crack. Closer but fainter. It’s certainly not an animal, and whoever it is is approaching.

“To the left,” Oliver whispers and as soon as they all focus there a shadow charges from the right of them.

“Shit!” Thea says ducking from the blow aimed at her. And Oliver recognises who their attacker is.

“Slade!?”

Slade doesn’t even pause at it, dodging left from Thea’s blow before getting a blow into her sides. Sending her to the ground.

Was it all a lie? Their conversations through the comms? Slade playing the long game to get Oliver and his two proteges onto the island with him. To what? Kill them? Kill Oliver? Did he regret being left on the island and wanted his own escape and payback at Oliver for helping place him on it.

“Roy don’t!” Oliver yells as Roy charges at Slade. And just as he knew would happen Slade easily threw him off and into a tree.

Slade doesn’t turn his gaze to Oliver, but Oliver doesn’t need him to. Thea is getting up again and Oliver hopes she takes the advantage he’s about to give her.

Slade ducks easily after Oliver’s blow but that’s what Oliver wanted him to do. Thea, thankfully takes the opening, landing a blow on Slade’s side. It winds him and Oliver manages to get a punch into his fact.

“Shit kid,” Slade says but there’s a grin on his face. Oliver knows better than to claim it a victory.

Thea tries to kick Slade and that only succeeds at getting her leg caught, and twisted. She yells at the pain before going down.

When Oliver goes for another punch his arm gets caught and twisted behind his back.

“You know,” Slade says, holding Oliver firm even as he tries to break the grip. “Malcom Merlyn contacted me after you left. He told me who you started a war with. What were you thinking kid?”

Slade shoves Oliver to the ground between Thea and Roy before Oliver has a chance to respond.

“I was thinking I needed to protect my family.” Malcom had brought the league down on Thea. Oliver had to do something to save her.

“Of course you were,” Slade says and with a sigh he turns to face the three of them. There isn’t rage on his face like Oliver expected. Just resignation. He offers his hand to Oliver. “Get up – the three of you. Merlyn also said that, in light of who will be coming after you, I shouldn’t go easy on you.”

“Couldn’t you have been less of an asshole about it though?” Thea asks as she drags herself up to her feet.

“No. No he couldn’t,” Oliver says, because if there was one thing consistent between all the different personas of Slade Wilson he has met it was that they never missed the opportunity to be an asshole about anything.

* * *

“She fights like them,” Slade says, as they watch Roy and Thea spar. Stoking a fire for the first night in the middle of the abandoned campsite they have claimed. “The League.”

“How do you know what they fight like?” Oliver asks.

“I was a mercenary for those years after I got off the island remember?” Slade says. “Some of those memories have come back to me.”

“What about Roy?” Oliver asks because it’s probably better they move off that topic.

“Oh, he fights like you,” Slade says with a laugh. “Back when you needed me and Shado to pull you out of danger.”

“Hey!”

“It’s true,” Slade says and Oliver can only sigh.

“Yeah, well, turns out I'm probably a better student than I am teacher.” Oliver wishes he could be the kind of teacher his were. Instead everyone he tries to take under his tutelage seems to flounder.

“Nah, you’re a better parent than a teacher, a better big brother,” Slade says. “Look kid, I don’t remember much about my time dealing with the League. But I do remember that they never really smiled all that much – your sister though. There’s a darkness to her now, but there’s still light – I feel like that’s because of you.”

“And what about Roy?”

“He has a family now because of you,” Slade says, as Thea pins Roy down and tugs his arm back until he calls stop. “I’ll help with the teaching him to survive.”

* * *

“Getting better,” Slade says after he drops Roy again. Holding his hand out for Roy to take. “Still a while to go though.”

“He actually is, getting better,” Thea says, leaning next to Oliver on a log to watch. “But, ugh, please don’t tell me that means it’s my turn again.”

“No actually,” Oliver says, pulling himself up. “It’s mine.”

“What, really?” Roy says as he pulls himself up with Slade’s hand.

“Yeah.” It’ll be nice, to fight with Slade without the weight of someone in danger over his head. “If Slade’s good with it?”

“Oh, I’m good,” Slade says. “What about you kid – think you can take me like this?”

“Yeah, I think I can.”

“Hey Roy,” Thea say, getting to her feet herself. “I just suddenly remembered that it’s because of these two and this island I have a nephew so I think we might want to give them some privacy.”

“Thea! We’re just going to spar,” Oliver protests.

“Nope, don’t want to hear it,” Thea says her hands up. “Anyway, you said the point of us coming here was for us to learn how to survive. Shouldn’t part of that be when we don’t have you watching over our every move?”

She’s right about the second part, as much as Oliver doesn’t like it.

“Just- be careful.”

“You too,” Thea calls as her and Roy start to disappear into the forest. “Make sure he wraps it.”

“Thea- ugh.” She’s too far away to hear any protest he has this time.

“You’re sister has a dirty mind,” Slade says, humour clear in his tone, “must have gotten it from you.”

“Just- shut up,” Oliver says falling into a stance. “Are we going to do this?”

“Yeah,” Slade says sliding into one of his own. “We are.”

Oliver waits to see how Slade will move first. If Slade remembers much of his time under the effects of mirakuru he likely remembers what he learned studying Oliver’s fighting style. Oliver never got the chance to really learn Slade’s new style in turn. So he waits to see how Slade will move when he’s the one starting the fight.

“So you’ve learned patience kid,” Slade says as he sizes Oliver up himself. “No longer running head-first into every fight.”

“What about you?”

Slade lunges, finally. And Oliver only just manages to weave out of the way in time. He doesn’t know if Slade’s gotten faster since the island, but he certainly hasn’t slowed down even without the mirakuru.

Slade doesn’t let up. Oliver having to move quickly in order to dodge the next serious of blows aimed for him.

Slade certainly is not going easy on him. So when Oliver sees an opening he takes it – locking his ankle with Slade’s to send them both tumbling to the ground. He manages to pin Slade’s hands before the alpha can recover from having the wind knocked out of him.

“I win,” Oliver says, settling his weight more evenly on top Slade.

“Seems so kid,” Slade says and Oliver realises that maybe Thea was right in that the island and the two of them mixing oddly. Because when he was home he never had any interest in Slade sexually – had seen him as an old ally, temporary enemy, and father of his child in a factual but not emotional sense.

But here on Lian Yu again?

He leans down to kiss Slade because _screw it._

And Slade kisses back.

“Oliver,” Slade says, almost gently when they part. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Oliver doubts for a moment if Slade wants it but his hand is on Oliver’s hip – strong and firm and clearly wanting of something.

“So long as it doesn’t have to mean anything.” Just another one time thing. That won’t lead to anything or mean anything after it’s done.

“’Course,” Slade says, his other hand reaching up to rest on Oliver’s hair – no longer able to grip onto it like he was when they were last on this island together. “Don’t think either of us are the kind of people to get clingy.”

“Good, I’d hate to get stuck with you for the rest of my life,” Oliver says, his hand pulling at Slade’s shirt to get it off.

“But as a quick fuck?” Slade asks, his hand that was on Oliver’s hip working its way into the back of his pants.

“You’re going to have to remind me why you’re worth it again,” Oliver says, working on getting the zipper of Slade’s pants down.

* * *

“Thea is going to be so smug if she finds out we did that,” Oliver says, curled against Slade’s side as they both lie naked on the forest floor.

“You’re acting like she isn’t likely doing the same damn thing with that omega of hers you decided to train,” Slade says.

“Uh, I promised mom I’d keep an eye on them.” Moira will not be happy to find out Oliver left Thea and Roy alone to have sex with Slade.

“Kid, they’re old enough where if they want to fuck they’re gonna’ fuck,” Slade says, his hand idly rubbing against Oliver’s side – a subconscious movement on his part most likely, but one Oliver finds himself only too aware of.

“She does already have one grandchild because of this island,” Oliver says. Despite the fact that both he and Roy are on enough birth control that it shouldn’t be a problem. “I guess she was right that this place makes you suddenly more willing to get into bed with someone.”

“It’s the isolation,” Slade says. “Makes you feel like whatever you do here doesn’t have any impact on the outside world.”

“Makes it a good place to clear your head,” Oliver says and Slade merely hums in agreement. “What are you going to do? Once you leave the island with us?”

“Don’t know. But there’s a lot I have to redeem myself for.”

“You could always come back to Starling with us.” Oliver doesn’t know why he’s offering.

“Kid I don’t know if you remember but I’m kind of personally responsible for an attack on the city and a lot of death,” Slade says.

“That was the mirakuru. And, I mean, where else to start looking for redemption than there? Plus, much like how this island is a good place to clear your head, Starling seems to be a good place to find yourself again.” Certainly it had for both him and Sara. Helped turn them from the killers they had become to people again. At least a little.

“You know what? I might take you up on that kid.”

“Oh my god!” Both of them look up at the words to see Thea standing in the clearing her hand covering her eyes. “I was joking you know! It wasn’t supposed to be a suggestion.”

“Thea-“ Oliver starts, as he gets off Slade, to try and do some damage control before it becomes something he’ll never hear the end of.

“Nope. I am not talking to you, not acknowledging you, until you put on pants,” Thea says turning around. “Roy don’t look.”

“Don’t look at what?” Roy asks coming through the clearing before stopping dead and turning on the spot. “Gross.”

Thankfully both Oliver and Slade are talented at getting back into their pants quickly so the awkward situation doesn’t have to last much longer than necessary.

“Right,” Slade says as he tugs his shirt back on. “If you two are done being children we need to set up camp for the night.”


	11. Starling City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realise that while I called the last two chapters epilogues those were more just… part of the conclusion and this is the true epilogue. But… I didn’t realise that until now.
> 
> Also yes I am ignoring some of the character writeoffs for this. Also the Nightclub writeoff because I liked that B-plot. 
> 
> There’s one more chapter after this but honestly that thing’s more a teaser than even an epilogue.

“I see he finally followed you home,” Quentin says, nodding to the masked man looming in the distance behind the Arrow.

“What are you talking about Captain?” The Arrow says because, yeah, Quentin has been kind of a dumbass for a long time, and, yeah, they’re still playing the game where he pretends he is.

“Whatever, he wouldn’t be the first to have come back from that weird drug-induced violence with a want to do something to fix what he did.” It appears that for even some absolute bastards there was a limit that the drug had pushed them past. And, for some of them, it had been a more effective means of convincing them to turn their life around than any of amount of jail time. “Just most of them didn’t do it while wearing the same damned mask they were when they committed the crimes.”

The Arrow turns his head to give a look back at his new apparent ally.

“Right now we have bigger problems to deal with,” he says when he returns his attention to Quentin.

“Yeah, well, we always do don’t we?”

* * *

“I guess it’s a good thing that Barry keeps not giving us a costume of his to keep here,” Oliver says as they finish setting Slade’s costume on the manikin. Seems every time they have a new one set up for him someone else joins the team and needs to take it.

“Barry’s an omega as well, by the way, you so you don’t have to be worried.” Felicity says.

“Why would I be worried?” Slade asks, and Oliver shoots her a look because he knows where she’s going and she couldn’t be more wrong.

“Because-” Felicity starts before catching Oliver’s look. “I mean no reason. You’re just the protective alpha father of his child that came back home and is moving in with him. Not his mate at all.”

“Felicity,” Oliver warns. Because they had this conversation before he even went to collect Slade from the island. Everyone seems to think that they were mates-with-a-capital-M no matter how many times Oliver reminds them they never were and never will be.

“Right. Shutting up now,” Felicity says before gesturing to the suit. “But, ah, are you sure you still want to use that identity? I mean it is kind of associated with... being a mercenary and leading an army of evil super soldiers?”

“If the point is to scare the street thugs than I can’t think of anything better,” Slade says and considering how many low-time criminal immediately give up and bolt when they see Deathstroke he’s probably right.

* * *

“What does William think about Slade being here?” John asks as he and Oliver walk through the abandoned paper mill hoping to stumble into the bad-guy they’ve been chasing. “I mean it must be odd for him – to go from his father dead to his father evil to his father living with him.”

“He’s... adjusting,” Oliver says. “Slade... even while he was not himself was kind to William at times. So I think he’s mostly just waiting for the next kidnapping attempt.”

“And how Slade’s handing that?” John doesn’t know how he’d feel if his child thought he was a potential threat to them. Even if he understands that the position is understandable considering what William has gone through.

“He’s taking it slow. William’s fine about him so long as Thea or I’m around. When we’re not I get my mom to babysit him,” Oliver says with a shrug.

“And what about you?” Diggle asks before raising his gun when Oliver freezes, clearly listening to something. Diggle follows when Oliver takes a sharp left into one of the side corridors.

“What about me?”

“You didn’t have to take him into your home.” Slade Wilson did have his own means. Including a portfolio of investments brought with mercenary’s money.

“I know. But it’s convenient. For us both,” Oliver says with a sharp right, pausing right in front of one of the doors. “And I can sleep a bit easier knowing if the League does come for my family there’s another person guarding Will.”

* * *

“Oh my god, my eyes!” Thea says, desperately covering her eyes to hopefully stop the image she walked into from being seared into them permanently.

Who fucks in the living room?

Okay apart from that one time Thea did with the guy who ended up being League but she learned a very important lesson from it. One her brother and his not-my-alpha _alpha_ apparently hadn’t.

“Thea!” Oliver says and there’s a rustle like he’s trying to quickly put on clothing. “I thought you went out with Roy-”

“I did. We had a lovely dinner, by the way, and I was returning home from it because _I_ did not plan on having sex tonight, unlike you apparently.”

“Looks like it’s later than you thought,” Slade says and Thea has yet to hear any rustles of clothing to imply he’s gotten dressed yet so she isn’t removing her hands.

“Is it? Shit,” Oliver says and there’s another scramble. “Thea I am so sorry.”

“Just... leave. Back to your rooms or a room, I don’t actually care just out of my living room!”

“Thea-”

“Nope. Upstairs – with both of you!”

“Looks like your sister also inherited the bossy gene,” Slade jokes but a duel set of footsteps do start heading up the stairs.

“Also you’re buying me a new couch!” Thea calls after them because there is no way she’s sitting on this one ever again.

* * *

“Oh you are going to regret this,” Quentin says from where he’s tied up next to Oliver. Both captured when some gang-bangers decided to kidnap the Police Captain to make their threats more ‘real’. “When his alpha finds out.”

He feels Queen’s shrug that normally accompanies a comment about how Slade Wilson is not his alpha. Which Quentin might believe if not for the fact that, you know, the two hadn’t immediately moved in together when Wilson came back to the city.

“Who - that rich boy-alpha that somehow got stranded on an island with him?”

“You do remember that he led an army that ransacked this city last year, right?” Is Quentin the only one who remembers what happens more than two weeks before any given moment?

“That was while he was under the effects of that evil-drug,” one of the other goons says, elbowing one of the others. “Heard it made him super strong, I think it’d be worth the cost.”

“Yeah and he kept up with those skills,” Quentin says to nobody but himself.

There’s a thud of a door going down.

“What was that?” Mirakuru-wishing goon says. And, oh, Quentin kind of hopes there’s still some of it in Wilson’s so this asshole can see what it really is like up close and personal.

“That’s his alpha.”

“Not my alpha,” Oliver grumbles under his breath.

“Yeah well,” Quentin says as apparently more goons show up from in somewhere further in the shadows, “I hope your not-alpha brought back-up.”

* * *

“So, uh, what exactly is their relationship?” Ray says, gesturing between Oliver and Slade as the two of them suit up.

“They’re “” _not mates””,”_ Felicity says, because, well, that is what the two of them say about it.

“Is that air-quotes I hear?” Ray asks, “because I feel like there were air-quotes in that statement.”

“Well...” Felicity says as Slade walks closer to Oliver and leans in close. Softly telling him to stay safe in a tone that nobody else but Will gets from him. “They could be heard in that statement.”

And then Slade leans down to press the smallest, quickest, kiss on Oliver’s cheek.

“Oh,” Ray says. “Are you sure they aren’t-”

“No, they’re _not mates_ ,” Felicity repeats. “Seriously, just go ask them.”

“Wait so is this like a secret thing or a they’re in denial thing?” Ray asks. And man, sometimes Felicity really wishes it was the first. It’d be less unbearable to be stuck with if it was the first. So much less unbearable.

“Oh, it’s the second alright,” Diggle says because he’s been listening in. And, oh, Felicity hopes Slade or Oliver didn’t overhear as well. That would be bad. Not bad-bad but like... another conversation where they claim there’s nothing going on between them despite the fact that they’ve probably had sex on every place both in their Verdant, the bunker, and Oliver’s place; William starting to call him ‘dad’; and the fact Slade is officially on Oliver’s insurance as of about two months ago.

And, oh god, how much longer is this denial thing going to go on for?

* * *

“What were you thinking?” Oliver snaps at Slade as the two of them walk into the bunker.

“What was I thinking? I was thinking that guy was about to shoot you in the head if I didn’t take him out first,” Slade says, throwing his mask to the side like it’s the one to blame for the situation.

“I can look after myself!” The last thing Oliver needs is an alpha that thinks he’s incompetent. The last thing his team needs is to start questioning his leadership because of it.

“I know that kid,” Slade rumbles, “but I also know that there’s a little boy waiting at your mother’s house that will be devastated if you don’t come back-”

“Don’t you dare use William against me like that.” Oliver already knows the risks. He knows that if he doesn’t come back William will be without his mother. But the city needs him and there isn’t anyone else that can truly replace what he is.

“I’m not using him against you, I’m just saying that I’ll watch your back and you’ll watch mine,” Slade says, “and tonight I was watching your damn back!”

Oliver doesn’t quite know what causes him to take a swing at Slade. Possibly a need to prove himself. Possibly a need to get his frustration and fear of not returning to William out on someone and Slade a convenient target. Probably both combined. It doesn’t matter though because he does.

And Slade catches his arm before the hit can land.

“Seriously kid?”

Oliver contemplates it for a moment before deciding he might as well commit. Twisting his arm out of Slade’s grip before swinging with the other.

Slade dodges that blow. And ducks and weaves beneath the next one before swinging a blow of his own – one that Oliver catches.

They both stand there panting lighting from the exhaustion.

And then Slade surges forward and Oliver braces for another blow only to have his lips roughly kissed. And fuck it he kisses back, hands coming to grip onto Slade’s hair as the alpha picks him up to balance him on the edge of the desk as he tries to undo his clothing without breaking lip contact.

And Oliver is very much on board with that plan helping where he can and working on undoing his own. Once they’re naked Slade hitching Oliver up again to better balance and-

* * *

“Thanks for having him again,” Oliver says as he picks William up to take him home.

“It really is no worry,” Moira says, again. “I enjoy spending one-on-one time with my grandson.”

And it’s nice to see Oliver as well. Even if he nearly always looks exhausted when he arrives – at least he looks alive still. And happy to see his son.

“How are you going Oliver?” Moira asks because they rarely talk these days. Despite her often babysitting William, she finds she learns more about her son from the news than him telling her.

“Good,” Oliver says.

“And how is Mr Wilson?” The question earns her an odd look from her son but considering the alpha has been living with him for months now Moira feels it’s a valid question.

“He’s… good.”

“Is William coping with him living with you?” Moira cannot imagine how confusing it must be for the boy, considering Slade had been involved in kidnapping him in the past and now was living with him and known as his father.

“He’s… getting there. I think he’s finally accepted Slade isn’t going to kidnap him at any moment so that’s a good thing,” Oliver says, nuzzling into the side of William’s face as the boy starts to doze off.

“And when do you two intend to marry.”

Mum!” Oliver sputters, making William wake up and go alert. Oliver apologising and nuzzling into his son again to sooth him back to his half-sleep state. 

“I’m just saying Oliver. With Mr Wilson living you with you and William looking so much like him people are starting to talk.” Oliver might be very good at being a vigilante but he seems to have gotten even worse at managing the expectations of society on him as an omega on his standing.

“Well then they can keep talking. Because we’re not getting married.” Oliver’s stubbornness only got worse after his years on the island. And Moira wishes she still had the son that would listen to her advice instead of arguing with her every turn.

“Oliver you’ve already had a child with him – it’s high time you considered legitimising your matehood.” Moira had held her tongue for a while now to let the two get settled and hopefully the realisation themselves after they got over what happened with the terrible mirakuru drug.

“Mum, we’re not mates,” Oliver says. And, really, does he expect her to be that stupid or blind to believe it?

“I don’t understand why you insist on lying to me after everything, especially about something so blatantly clear.” Even Thea referred to the two as mates and they were living with her. “But I will drop it for now.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

“Seriously!?” Roy says. “This is a nightclub!”

“Not at the moment it isn’t,” Slade says as he pulls back from Oliver and Roy is really glad he walked in now and not like five minutes later when the pants got dropped.

“Yeah but in,” a quick check at the time on his phone, “two hours it will be. And I need to stock the bar so if you two could, please, move this to somewhere that’s not the bar, please?”

Not that he’s against them... hooking up or whatever. Certainly Roy isn’t going to be calling Oliver out on having sex in places around this building seeing what he and Thea got up to in the stockroom more than once.

“Roy,” Oliver says, shrugging his shirt on and walking over. “Can you ah...”

“What? Not mention this happened to the others?” Oh Oliver has got to be kidding him.

“Yeah,” Oliver says with the guilty look on his face when he knows he’s doing something unfair.

“Sorry man, but if you think what’s happening between the two of you is secret it’s not.” They all know that, as much as the two of them will never, ever, admit it, they’re certainly mates again in the... well... _mating_ part of it.

“How?” And now Oliver has his silly confused look on his face. The one Felicity calls ‘adorable’.

“You two kind of get pretty distracted when you’re with each other.” Roy thinks they’ve all walked in on them at different points. Roy well knows how lucky he is that he walked in while the pants were still on.

“Seriously?” Oliver asks and when Slade chuckles in the background he turns on a dime. “And you knew?”

“Don’t know if I’d say knew,” Slade says, wondering over to sling his arms around Oliver’s shoulder and Roy still doesn’t get how they think anyone is buying the ‘not mates’ thing. “But I figured it’d happen eventually. It’s what happens when you fuck in the shared training room.”

Oliver doesn’t say anything but his face contorts into more emotions than Roy thinks he’s ever seen on Oliver in under a day before.

* * *

“I swear I’m going to tell her,” John says, tossing down his jacket onto the desk in their bunker.

“Tell who, what?” Roy asks.

“Cupid.” Oh god did John hate working with her but Waller keeps deciding she has the exact skill sets they need for the stupid missions she keeps also roping him into. “Can I tell her you’re an omega?”

“No,” Oliver says, immediately. Because of course he does.

“Seriously man? I promise I won’t tell her which omega you are, but do you know how annoying she is when she keeps telling me how you’re her alpha when I know you’re really, really, not.” Oh god is it so annoying listening to her. And knowing the truth only makes it more so.

“Wait, is this that stalker of yours?” Slade asks, William sitting in his lap as the boy plays the games Felicity has loaded up on one of the computers in the bunker for him when he visits. It’s taken William a long time to get this comfortable with his father but it looks like bit by bit Slade is earning his trust.

“Yes,” Oliver says, reluctantly.

“Then I think he should tell her – oh and record it for us. It’s been a while since we’ve had a good laugh,” Slade says.

“No, Slade, secret identities remember?” Oliver says, like this is a long-suffering discussion between them.

“I know, but I still think it’d probably be worth it.”

“Wait is that jealousy I hear in Slade Wilson’s voice?” Laural says. “I thought you weren’t mates?”

“We’re not.” It’s uncanny how they can say it at the same time.

* * *

“So, uh, what’s the deal with our apparent leader and that alpha of his?” Rene asks, leaning against the guard-rails behind where Felicity is working. “’cause Queen don’t got a bite.”

“That’d be because Slade’s not his alpha,” Felicity says with enough inflection in her voice she’s sure what she actually means is clear.

“Seriously? I saw how he was watching while Queen was teaching – he certainly wants a piece of that,” Rene says and yeah Felicity wasn’t blind either. Slade had an _appreciation_ for watching Oliver fight and train that she’d probably have more to say about if she didn’t get it.

“Oh I’m aware and have already had to sanitise this place twice this week as a result of that watching.” Without the team here they had only gotten so much worse at the fucking on every surface thing. So very much worse.

“So they’re what- doing it?”

“Oh yeah. And they live together and William calls Slade dad and so many other things I can’t even list them all,” Felicity says getting up to walk over to Rene, “but they’re not mates.”

“And why not? If they’re screwing like bunnies and have a kid together then what more is a bite really?”

“You’re guess is as good as mine.”

* * *

“How did we manage to produce such a good kid?” Slade asks as he walks into the gym. And Oliver has to admit that it’s useful that William now trusts his father enough that Slade can put him to bed while Oliver keeps training or finishes up a case. “Because seriously neither of us are good people but Will-”

“I know.” Oliver has wondered it many times in his life. Especially considering just how much violence William had unavoidably been exposed to in those first handful of years of his life and even now.

“So,” Slade says casually, leaning against the wall of the gym, “ever think about having another one.”

And Oliver falls from the salmon ladder at it.

“Shit-”

“I’m alright, I’m alright,” Oliver reassures as he pulls himself back to his feet. “That just sounds a lot like commitment. What’s next – you going to ask me to become your mate? Your spouse?”

Moira would be thrilled if they did. No longer being seen as living in sin in the eyes of greater society.

“Oh no, nothing of that sort kid. I think the little boy snoozing in his bed upstairs proves we don’t need to be mates to make a kid – a cute kid I might add,” Slade says walking over. And Oliver can admit he’s tempted, slightly, William is probably the best thing that ever happened in his life. But-

“Even if I wanted to, and I’m not saying I do,” temptation is not wanting, “I can’t.”

“The city?” Slade asks.

“Yes.” Oliver promised his father he would protect it. Has promised even more people since he got back that he would.

“You’re too hard on yourself,” Slade says, wrapping his arms around Oliver and pressing a kiss against his neck – right above his scent glad but Oliver doesn’t fear him biting. “But you’re right – William is more than either of us have any right at hoping for in a kid. Having another one is just playing with fire.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”


	12. Mia Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn’t an epilogue. No. This is a teaser for a fic I don’t even know if I’m going to write. That’s totally different to an epilogue. 
> 
> Also if it isn’t already clear I prefer the early seasons dumbass Oliver who comes to Felicity and Diggle so confused about how some of his problems have been created and they have to keep reminding him of meetings he’s late to.

“Felicity!” Oliver calls in his ‘something has gone horribly terribly wrong’ voice. Which is a bit surprising because Felicity doesn’t fully know what could have gone so terribly wrong in the bathroom. But, you know, weirder things have happened. “Felicity!”

“What, Oliver!?” Felicity asks as Oliver walks, no storms, into the main part of their base.

“Felicity!” Oliver demands, again, shoving _something_ down on the desk in front of her. “How did this happen?”

Felicity looks at the _thing_ on her desk now and, oh, that is a pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test. And didn’t you need to pee on those or something? Oh god she was going to have to sanitise the whole desk. No, the whole base. Again.

“Ah, you and Slade...” did it. Did it everywhere. Literally _everywhere_. And oh, Felicity had already sanitised so much of the everywhere already. It felt like she was spending half her time sanitising the place these days.

“I mean how is my depo shit not working?” Oliver says, lowering his voice into his Arrow-growly-thing.

“Uh.” Felicity goes onto the, totally consented for, files on their medical records. “It uh... wore out. About three weeks ago.”

“And how did it wear out? I thought I had an alert on my phone,” Oliver says.

“You mean your phone that got shot and destroyed a month ago?” Felicity says, and Oliver’s face twists and then falls and then his head falls. “So, uh, congratulations? Or is this still an ‘on no’ thing?”

The door opens and Slade walks in and oh Felicity would not want to change places with him right now.

“You,” Oliver says and, oh, he’s picked up the pregnancy test again.

And _oh no_ he’s throwing it at Slade. Felicity is really going to have to sanitise this whole place now.

The pregnancy test bounces off Slade. Because he’s Slade Wilson and it’s a tiny piece of plastic. Slade leans down to pick it up though and then freezes.

“What?”

“What am I supposed to do about _my city?”_ Oliver asks, because yeah being pregnant kind of ruins the whole secret vigilante thing. Although now Felicity has the image of a very pregnant Green Arrow in her head. And what, is he going to cry the bad guys into submission?

Not that Felicity thinks pregnant omegas inherently are criers. Or that Oliver will be a teary pregnant person. Just-

“Shit,” Slade says but it doesn’t sound like a bad-‘shit’. And going by how he immediately rushes Oliver for a hug it almost certainly isn’t a bad-‘shit’.

“Slade are you listening to me?” Oliver demands as Slade actually rumbles a _purr_ against his neck. “I can’t protect my city while I’m pregnant.”

“Then I’ll put the damned hood on if I have to,” Slade says, between kisses to Oliver’s neck. “We’re having another _kid_.”

“Yeah, we are,” Oliver says, actually relaxing into Slade’s arms.

And fuck it, the two of them can claim they’re not mates all they want. They can refuse to actually bond all they want. Felicity is pretty sure they’re going to be together until the day one of them dies and that’s better than a lot of actual mates can say.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr if you want to chat is GoddessofRoyalty


End file.
